Risa Whitson

Risa Whitson is a Professor in the Department of Geography within the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio University, where she also serves as Director of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. She holds a joint appointment in this interdisciplinary program and is actively engaged in teaching and research at the intersection of human geography, feminist theory, and development studies.

Her research focuses on geographies of development, social geography, and feminist geography, particularly examining how informal labor intersects with gender, place, and power. Her work has primarily centered on Argentina, analyzing informal work and waste recycling in Buenos Aires, while also extending to gender discourses in direct sales in the U.S. and reproductive spatial practices in Brazil.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent thematic trajectory exploring non-standard labor, gendered spatial practices, and development across Latin America, China, and the U.S., reflecting a transnational and interdisciplinary approach grounded in qualitative methodologies.

Selected Scientific Contributions:

• Analysis of cesarean birth discourses in São Paulo
• Gender and public leisure in Beijing
• Informal waste economies in Buenos Aires
• Negotiation of gender through informal work in Argentina

Risa Whitson has supervised numerous master’s students in Geography and International Affairs, mentoring research on women’s empowerment, human rights, and community development in Nicaragua, Mexico, Brazil, and diaspora communities. Though no formal awards are listed, her publications in leading journals such as Antipode and Gender, Place & Culture attest to her scholarly impact. She teaches courses in human geography, qualitative methods, and global feminisms, contributing significantly to both geography and gender studies curricula.