Ben R. Gardner

Ben Gardner’s research engages political questions and theoretical debates, contributing to scholarship on 1) the cultural politics of the environment, 2) political economy of development, and 3) the post-colonial state. He has published in edited book volumes and peer reviewed journals about gender and development, land rights and transnational investment, and the links between community, landscapes, and activism. Through ethnographic research on the transnational and trans-local aspects of development, Gardner’s work brings to light the grounded struggles that give shape to so-called global phenomena. His most recent research on the relationship between local politics, intergenerational struggle and transnational policies grows out of his experience addressing inequality, conflict, and struggle in Africa over the past fifteen years.