Colin Thor West

Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Anthropology
Professor
Anthropologist

ctw@email.unc.edu
919-966-5588
Alumni Building 401B
Website
CV

Research Interests

Human ecology, households, global change, West Africa, GIS, remote sensing, agent-based modeling

Specializations

Human Ecology, Global Change, Household Adaptation, Ecological Anthropology, Applied Anthropology

Research Background

My research focuses on the human ecology of global change. I am interested in the ways in which societies adapt to the twin processes of global environmental and social change. My methods include participatory mapping, remote sensing/image processing, GIS, and Agent-based Modeling (ABM). More specifically, I have explored:
How households adjust their structure and composition in response to drought and agricultural intensification.

How rural farmers and ranchers perceive climatic change and adapt to regional manifestations of global climate change.

How indigenous natural resource-based peoples develop institutions for managing local resources under conditions of increased risk and uncertainty.

Education

PhD, University of Arizona, 2006; MA, University of Arizona, 2003; BA, University of Chicago, 1993