Dr. Amiel Bize

Biography

Amiel Bize is an economic anthropologist whose research focuses on social economic transformations at the margins of capitalism. His current book project examines how individuals create value in meaningful ways within a 'post-agrarian' rural context, particularly in western Kenya. Through detailed analysis of rural abandonment over decades, the project tracks how farmers navigate relationships of worth, kin, labor, and nature in Kenya's liberalized economy, emphasizing the intersection of capitalist value with other social relations. His new projects include investigations into gleaning, exploring the role of moral economies in resource distribution, and analyzing climate-sensitive insurance mechanisms in East Africa. Bize's work has been supported by various foundations and he received his PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University in 2018. He has also been a faculty member at the University of Bayreuth in Germany before joining Cornell.

Research Interests

Experience