معرفی
Bret Gustafson is a Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and specializes in political anthropology with a focus on climate politics, fossil fuels, and Indigenous rights in Latin America, particularly Bolivia. His research spans over three decades, collaborating closely with the Assembly of Guarani People in Bolivia. He currently investigates the Guarani language’s historical trajectory and energy politics’ socio-environmental impacts.
Education: PhD in Anthropology from Harvard University. His work bridges Indigenous knowledge systems, state policies, and extractive industries’ socio-political dynamics. Key areas include language revitalization, intercultural education, and the intersection of energy development and Indigenous territories.
Research Interests: Climate justice, fossil fuel dependency, plurinationalism, Indigenous sovereignty, and the anthropology of energy. His book Bolivia in the Age of Gas (2020) earned the 2022 Bryce Wood Book Award, critically analyzing Evo Morales’ administration and Bolivia’s gas-driven political economy.
Recent Work Trends: Focus on Bolivia’s energy transition challenges, the Guarani language’s historical role in identity formation, and comparative studies of extractivism in the Andes. Engages with interdisciplinary dialogues on fossil capitalism and decolonial theory.
- Scientific Awards: 2022 Bryce Wood Book Award
Advising and Grants: Mentors graduate students researching extractivism, climate politics, and Andean/Amazonian sociopolitical dynamics. His grants include support for collaborative Indigenous language projects and energy policy studies. Active in Washington University’s Department of Anthropology, contributing to courses on energy anthropology and Latin American studies.
Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Guarani linguists and educators, and participates in interdisciplinary energy studies networks. Leads research projects on fossil fuel politics and Indigenous territorial rights in Bolivia.
