Julia Perczel

Julia Perczel is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of Social Anthropology. Her research focuses on the sociopolitical and material dimensions of waste, toxicity, and circular economies, with ethnographic fieldwork centered on Delhi's e-waste recycling industry.

Research Focus

Perczel's interdisciplinary work bridges environmental anthropology, waste studies, and urban ethnography. Key themes include:

• Body politics and lived experiences of toxicity in marginalized communities
• Material ethics and value transformations in global e-waste flows
• Representations of waste in literature and cultural narratives
• Ethnographic methodologies for studying hazardous environments

Publication Trends

Her recent articles (2020-2024) demonstrate a consistent focus on waste economies through sociological, political-ecological, and literary lenses. Works critically examine Delhi's e-waste sector, toxic fieldwork methodologies, and waste representation in speculative fiction, employing narrative analysis and ethnographic approaches.

Awards

• Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (recognizing innovative postdoctoral research)