Jana Fortier

Jana Fortier is a Lecturer at the University of California, San Diego, affiliated with the Department of Anthropology and the School of Global Policy and Strategy since 2007. She specializes in Himalayan studies, focusing on cultural resilience, heritage preservation, and sustainability.

• PhD in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1996)

Her research explores how communities maintain cultural and linguistic integrity amid modernization, with fieldwork in Nepal and India. She has authored two books, including Kings of the Forest (documenting Himalayan hunter-gatherers) and A Comparative Dictionary of Raute and Rawat (preserving Sino-Tibetan languages). Current work examines environmental practices in indigenous communities.

Publications highlight interdisciplinary work in linguistics, ecology, and ethnoscience, particularly around Tibeto-Burman languages and sustainable food systems. She has received major grants from the Wenner-Gren Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Fulbright Foundation, and California Council for the Humanities.

Scientific awards include:

• NEH Fellowship Grant FB-37466-01 (2001)
• Wenner-Gren Foundation Regular Research Grant (2000)
• Richard Carley Hunt Fellowship (1997)
• Bush Foundation Award for Innovative Teaching (1986)
• FLAS Language Fellowship in Nepali (1986)

She advises government agencies on public folk arts and cultural property preservation, collaborating with organizations like Navdanya in India. Her work bridges academic research and practical policy for cultural sustainability.