Name: Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet, PhD
Affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut (UCONN)
Contact details: eleanor.ouimet@uconn.edu
Statement of interest: I am an environmental anthropologist who studies human-environment interactions, cross-cultural conservation practices, community response to natural hazards and the effects of climate change, and the links between culture, history, economics, environmental ethics and resource management. For the past 5 years I have been actively engaged in the debate over anthropological approaches to the study of environmental repair, the influence of anthropocentrism in the social sciences, and facilitating cooperative efforts between anthropologists and conservation groups. My research and publications also examine issues related to environmental education, anti-environmentalism, and the role of rural elite and cultural ideology in community-based conservation initiatives.
Geographical/topical area of interest: My current research focuses cultural perceptions of, responses to, and decision making in the context of natural hazards and disasters. I am currently working in Japan and coastal New England as part of an interdisciplinary investigation into the study of low frequency, high impact hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons and cross-cultural perceptions and responses to the threat and aftermath of hazards and disasters, decisions to implement preemptive protective measures, and how to increase awareness and preventative action among communities.
