Eunice Blavascunas

Eunice Blavascunas is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. She holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of California Santa Cruz and has taught at the University of Washington's Program on the Environment.

• Education: Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz

Her research spans conservation politics in Eastern Europe, with a focus on Poland's Białowieża Forest, and explores interdisciplinary approaches to environmental problem-solving. She authored the book Foresters, Borders and Bark Beetles: The Future of Europe's Last Primeval Forest (Indiana University Press, 2020) and co-produced the documentary Black Stork White Stork (2014), examining aging, land use, and biodiversity in the Białowieża Forest. Current work investigates the "rewilding Europe" phenomenon and its cultural-political implications.

Blavascunas has held prestigious fellowships, including at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society and the Leibniz Institut GWZO. Her professional experience includes collaborations with US land management agencies like the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, and Washington State Department of Natural Resources. She aims to bridge global environmental challenges with localized conflicts through ethnographic research and public engagement.

• Scientific Awards: Switzer Fellowship, Fulbright Fellowship, Rachel Carson Center Fellowship, Leibniz Institut GWZO Fellowship