Yara Maljers

Yara Maljers is a cultural anthropologist and researcher-lecturer at Hogeschool Zeeland (HZ), affiliated with the Building with Nature research group since 2024. She specializes in rural development, visual ethnography, and the complex interplay between humans and nature. Her work focuses on societal impacts of ecological measures in coastal zones, particularly integrating traditional ecological knowledge into strategies like sand nourishment. She holds a Master’s in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology from Leiden University (2016) and has conducted fieldwork globally, including the Wadden Islands, the Philippines, Ghana, and Morocco.

Education:

• MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Leiden University (2016)

Research Interests: Yara’s expertise spans urbanization, migration, and sustainable development. She employs ethnographic methods to explore topics such as coastal community perspectives on project developments, surfers’ environmental connections, and water access in Northern Luzon. Her current work emphasizes participatory research to co-produce knowledge for effective coastal management.

Projects: Key initiatives include the SOURCE and Delta Wealth projects, examining societal impacts of ecological infrastructure. She leads qualitative research in Zeeland’s coastal communities, aligning with the Geen zee te hoog (No Sea Too High) project on water safety strategies.

Teaching: Previously coordinated and lectured on qualitative research methods at Leiden University in Morocco, reflecting her dual commitment to academia and applied research.

Labs/Teams: Active within the Building with Nature research group at HZ’s Joint Research Center Zeeland.