Dr. Elizabeth Eklund

Biography

Elizabeth Eklund is a lecturer at Purdue University in the College of Liberal Arts with expertise in environmental anthropology and political ecology. Her research focuses on the intersection of nature and culture, particularly in the context of preserving natural and cultural resources at a landscape level. She has a global perspective on changes due to climate change and examines local impacts. Her research topics include the cultural memory of water in rural Mexico, scenic federally protected areas in North America, and emerging land and climate justice struggles in the Global South. Eklund earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences with a minor in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia, where she studied the preservation of natural and cultural resources in the United States National Park and National Forest Systems. She also completed a Master of Arts in Anthropology at San Diego State University, focusing on the international framework for establishing protected areas. Eklund's PhD research from the University of Arizona investigated floodwater farming and its impact on community identity in Banámichi, Sonora, Mexico. She continues to explore issues of land and climate justice for resource-constrained societies vulnerable to climate change impacts, emphasizing cultural persistence in the face of oppression and catastrophe.

Research Interests