Dr. Gastón Gordillo

Biography

Gastón Gordillo is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 1990, later completing his PhD at the University of Toronto in 1999. Gordillo has served as a Guggenheim Fellow and visiting scholar at prestigious institutions including Harvard and Yale, as well as a visiting professor at Cornell University. His research focuses on socio-cultural anthropology with particular interests in terrain, space, and the materiality of landscapes, especially in the context of Latin America. His notable works include 'Rubble: Afterlife of Destruction' and 'Landscapes of Devils: Tensions Place Memory Argentinean Chaco', both published by Duke University Press, with the former being awarded an Honorable Mention for the Victor Turner Prize in Ethnographic Writing. Dr. Gordillo’s current research project, funded by the Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, analyzes deforestation and agribusiness in the Gran Chaco region with a focus on racialized social dynamics and indigenous movements. His extensive publication record covers various themes including racial geographies, violence, and the impact of capitalism in rural South America.

Research Interests