Department of Anthropology

Dr. Samuel Dira is a cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on cultural responses to social-ecological changes and the transmission and acquisition of local ecological knowledge. Since 2012, he has conducted extensive ethnographic research among Sidama farmers and Chabu foragers in southwestern Ethiopia. His research aims to answer questions such as: How do peoples with distinctive subsistence strategies perceive social-ecological risks? What ecological knowledge and skills help them survive difficult times? How do children acquire the skills and knowledge to survive difficult times? Recently, Dr. Dira has conducted ethnographic research on perceptions and coping strategies to environmental risks in northwestern Florida. This research examines the socioeconomic and health impacts of landfills and hurricanes, and how coping strategies vary across diverse socioeconomic, demographic, and racial groups among the residents of Pensacola, Florida. Dr. Dira teaches courses such as Cultural Anthropology, Peoples and Cultures of Africa, and Environmental Conservation in Africa.