Michael Cepek

Michael Cepek is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He specializes in environmental anthropology, focusing on the intersection of cultural difference, political power, and ecological change in the Andean and Amazonian regions of Ecuador.

• Guggenheim Fellowship recipient (2023)
• President’s Distinguished Achievement Awards (2016, 2021)
• President of the Cofán Survival Fund, securing hundreds of thousands in educational funding
• Mentoring two Cofán students for U.S. doctorates

His research bridges environmental anthropology, shamanism, and indigenous rights, with a focus on the Cofán Nation’s political ecology and survival in oil-impacted Amazonia. His work critiques extractive industries’ societal and ecological impacts while advocating for community-led scholarship.

Cepek’s recent publications analyze indigenous knowledge systems, conservation governance, and petro-frontier activism, reflecting his commitment to documenting and supporting Amazonian communities’ struggles. Articles span 2008–2023, emphasizing ontological diversity, resource politics, and shamanic cosmopolitics.

Scientific Awards include:

• Guggenheim Fellowship (2023)
• President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching (2016)
• President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Community Engagement (2021)
• President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Core Curriculum Teaching (2021)

Cepek’s advocacy extends to nonprofit leadership and graduate mentorship, with over $1,000,000 in external funding secured for UTSA. He co-authors “Visionary Violence: Shamanism, Dispossession, and Death in Amazonia” (under contract with UT Press) with Cofán shaman Cesario Lucitante.

His work with the Cofán Survival Fund funds education, healthcare, and environmental initiatives in Ecuador, while his departmental leadership shapes UTSA’s international reputation in environmental anthropology.