Dr. Mindi Schneider

Biography

Mindi Schneider is an Associate Teaching Professor at Brown University, specializing in Development Sociology with a focus on political economy, environmental sociology, political ecology, international agriculture, and rural development. Her research centers on socio-environmental inequalities, particularly in the global countryside, and she is a leader of the Commodity Frontiers Initiative, a global network examining capitalist transformations in rural areas. Schneider teaches courses including Land Justice, Hunger Development, and Alternatives to Endless Growth, employing critical and transgressive pedagogical practices. She earned her PhD from Cornell University and has held fellowships at renowned institutions including the Fulbright program and the Johns Hopkins University Arrighi Center for Global Studies. Schneider has contributed to numerous funded research projects addressing social histories in agricultural contexts and is actively involved in mentoring and community service. Her teaching philosophy is based on facilitating critical engagement among students, fostering shared learning, and addressing structural inequalities through an inclusive curriculum.

Research Interests

Experience