Karen Rignall

Dr. Karen Rignall is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Leadership Development at the University of Kentucky's Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, with a joint appointment in Sociology. Her research examines resource governance through cultural anthropology frameworks, focusing on energy transitions, agrarian systems, and rural development in North Africa and Appalachia.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, University of Kentucky (2012)
• M.A. in Cultural Anthropology and History, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (1998)
• M.P.A. in International Economic Development, Princeton University (1994)
• B.A. in International Economic Development, Princeton University (1992)

Her research investigates socio-economic dynamics of energy extraction (including renewables), land rights in arid regions, smallholder agriculture transformations, and community resilience strategies. She employs ethnographic methods and political ecology frameworks to analyze power dynamics in resource governance across Morocco and Central Appalachia.

Rignall's publications focus on agrarian transformations and resource conflicts, exemplified by her 2021 book examining land politics in Moroccan oases. Her scholarship consistently addresses themes of rural justice, community agency, and the political dimensions of environmental management.

She leads collaborative projects on energy transition justice in Appalachia and Morocco, emphasizing intergenerational knowledge exchange and community-driven solutions. Her work integrates grassroots perspectives through participatory action research and creative storytelling methodologies.