Dr. Harry Walker

Biography

Harry Walker specializes in anthropology with a focus on Latin America, particularly indigenous peoples of the Amazon. He has conducted long-term fieldwork with the Urarina, a hunting and horticultural people in lowland Peru, exploring a broad range of issues including selfhood, shamanism, law, materiality, sport, bureaucracy, egalitarianism, happiness, and the commons. His recent research concerns everyday experiences of justice and injustice. In his monograph, 'Watchful Eye', he examines the cultural prioritization of individual autonomy and uniqueness within Amazonian societies, and how these relate to concepts of self-realization in relationships. His work also addresses the rapid transformations in Amazonia which are drawing indigenous peoples into state and market economies, and he seeks to explore the ideas and practices of justice in this context, paying particular attention to the role of moral emotions like love, anger, and guilt. His expertise includes Amazonia, Latin America, subjectivity, shamanism, political morality, individualism, justice, happiness, and commons.

Research Interests