Jeji Varghese

I completed my PhD (2005, Rural Sociology) in the Department of Rural Economy at the University of Alberta. My dissertation research focused on the social consequences of local ownership in six forest-dependent communities in Canada. Prior to joining the department in 2007, I conducted research related to water governance as a Research Associate with the Guelph Water Management Group in the Department of Geography.

Research Area(s): 
As an environmental and resource sociologist, my research focuses on social aspects of environmental issues, with a particular focus on four broad themes: 1) Sustainability of resource dependent communities, 2) Voice/power of marginalised groups (including women, indigenous communities, and publics) in natural resource management, 3) Interface between social science research and environmental policy, and the 4) Scholarship of teaching and learning.
Current Project(s): 
  1. Co-investigator on a SSHRC funded project titled "Evaluating Protocols for Reciprocal Exchange Between Aboriginal and Western Science Knowledge Systems in Natural Resource Co-Management"
  2. Principle investigator on a SOTL funded project titled "An Assessment of Student Engagement in Learning Qualitative Methods through Community-Based Research (CBR)"
  3. Collaborating with University of Alberta social science researchers on APRI funded project titled "Improving TSE Mitigation Through Institutional Analysis of Response Strategies: A Comparative Study of Alberta and Ontario, Canada."
Teaching Interests: 

My teaching interests include environmental and natural resource sociology, indigenous natural resource governance, and community-engaged qualitative research.

Selected Publications: 

McGee, T.K., McFarlane, B.L. and Varghese, J. 2009. An Examination of the Influence of Hazard Experience on Wildfire Risk Perceptions and Adoption of Mitigation Measures. Society and Natural Resources, 22(4): 308-323

Reed, M. and J. Varghese. 2007. Gender Representation on Canadian Forest Sector Advisory Committees. Forestry Chronicle. 83(4):515-525.

de Loë, R.C., Varghese, J., Ferreyra, C. and Kreutzwiser, R.D. 2007. Water Allocation and Water Security in Canada: Initiating a Policy Dialogue for the 21st Century. Report prepared for the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. Guelph, ON: Guelph Water Management Group, University of Guelph.

Varghese, J., N. Krogman, T. Beckley, and S. Nadeau. 2006. Critical Analysis of the Relationship between Local Ownership and Community Resilience. Rural Sociology 71(3):505-527.

Parkins, J., J. Varghese, and R. Stedman. 2004. Identifying Indicators of Community Sustainability in the Robson Valley. BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management 4 (2).

Email: 
varghese[at]uoguelph.ca
Phone: 
56333
Office Number: 
634
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Guelph

Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1
Canada

Tel:519-824-4120 x56525
Fax:519-837-9561