Download Katherine Reedy, PhD Associate Professor Anthropology Specialties

Katherine Reedy, PhD
Associate Professor Anthropology
Specialties: Alaska, Arctic Indigenous peoples, Aleut, Commercial fishing, Subsistence, HumanEnvironmental Relationships, Community Sustainability
Island Anthropology: Indigenous Aleut Fishermen of the Bering Sea and North Pacific
The Aleut peoples of the Aleutian Islands are indigenous fishermen and hunters who are situated
in one of the richest marine environments in the world. The region is also one of the most
seismically active, volcanic, stormy, expensive, and challenging landscapes in which to live and
work. Aleut people have survived and thrived on these islands for thousands of years but face
modern challenges to their communities linked to industrialized fishing, environmental agendas,
and volatility in marine resources. This talk analyzes the survival strategies of these coastal
communities and the role of anthropology in supporting their sustainability.
Why the World needs Anthropologists
The world is shrinking. People, goods, money, belief systems, ideas, and information are
increasingly moving around the globe, accelerating human interaction and compressing the
experience of time and space. But the world is not shrinking at the same rate for everyone in all
places, and marginalized peoples experience this new world differently. The new economic,
political, health, and environmental challenges of the 21st century demand research that actively
addresses human problems across this spectrum. This course shows the ways in which practicing
anthropologists work to understand and solve these problems using our diverse toolkit of
methods and perspectives.