Dr. Youjin Chung

Biography

Youjin B. Chung is an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Energy Resources Group and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. As a rural sociologist and human-environment geographer, her research lies at the intersection of political economy development, feminist historical political ecology, critical agrarian studies, and science technology studies. Dr. Chung employs ethnographic, archival, and participatory visual methods to examine the dynamics of gender, intersectionality, and agrarian-environmental change, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Tanzania. Her interests include understanding agrarian pastoral landscapes and livelihoods and how they articulate with capitalist forces that reshape identities and relationships among rural communities and the state. Her current research projects address contentious issues in contemporary development and environmental politics in Africa, including large-scale agricultural investments, sustainable livestock intensification, and the critical minerals rush. Previously, she taught at the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University. Dr. Chung holds a PhD and MSc in Development Sociology from Cornell University, as well as an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge.

Research Interests