Department of Anthropology, PhD Student
My name is Rosemary Gay, and I began graduate studies in fall of 2020 in the Sociocultural Anthropology program. Broadly, I am interested in food, agriculture, and development in the Americas. I am particularly interested in science studies and “studying sideways,” an ethnographic approach that seeks to understand people with backgrounds similar to the researcher. In my case, this means engaging with agricultural scientists in the U.S. South and South America. My interest in studying sideways relates to participatory approaches by both interrogating systems of power and countering the disproportionate burden research traditions place on marginalized populations for participation in their studies. In pursuing the GCPR, I aim to learn about additional frameworks that mitigate the extractive nature of research by emphasizing collaboration, dialogue, deep listening, and a commitment to action that influences beyond the academic sphere.