Emily Y. Horton


Trained in cultural and ecological anthropology, I specialize in the human dimensions of environmental governance and conservation.

My current doctoral research explores the socioecological dimensions of small-scale fisheries governance in a marine protected area in Northeastern Brazil. I draw from the social sciences, natural sciences (fish sampling), and visual arts (photography), to understand how environmental governance intersects with considerations of: wellbeing, sustainability, food security, livelihoods, social justice, gender, diverse economies, and knowledge systems. Within the context of research and environmental governance discussions, I highly value the recognition of different "ways of knowing" and worldviews (i.e. epistemological and ontological pluralism).
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Fieldwork (2016 - 2017) was carried out with support from the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, local fishing communities, my host university Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, the Brazilian conservation agency ICMBio, and a crowdfunded Kickstarter grant. 
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Over the past 15 years, I've held diverse socioenvironmental positions in the academic, non-profit, and governmental sectors in North and South America (Brazil and Paraguay). These experiences have shaped my professional vision: to do collaborative, interdisciplinary, and inclusive research, outreach, policy, and education activities that bring together diverse actors to creatively address cross-scalar socioecological challenges.
 
Of Note:
  • 2019. Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship finalist. One year (2020-2021) policy fellowship with executive branch in D.C.
  • 2019. US-IALE Student Volunteer Award. Presented at U.S. International Association for Landscape Ecology symposium. Fort Collins, CO. 
  • 2019.  UGA Graduate School Travel Grant. Presented at Society for Applied Anthropology conference. Portland, Oregon.
  • 2019.  UGA ICON/Center for Integrative Conservation Travel Grant. Presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting. Portland, Oregon.
  • 2018.  U.S. Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security (summer fellowship).  Purdue University, Indiana.
  • 2018.  UGA Graduate School Travel Grant.  Presented on art-environment-science linkages in dissertation research at Dimensions of Political Ecology Conference. University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.  
  • 2017. Kickstarter (crowdfunded) award for carrying out community photography exhibit to disseminate research results in an inclusive and engaging manner. 
  • 2015. Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for 2016-2017 dissertation research in Brazil. Offered via Bureau of Educational Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
  • 2015. Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship for Intensive Portuguese study in Florianópolis. Via UGA’s Latin American & Caribbean Studies Institute and U.S. Department of Education. 
  • 2014. Tinker Foundation-UGA Graduate Field Research Award for pre-dissertation research in Brazil. Offered via UGA’s Latin American & Caribbean Studies Institute & Tinker Foundation, Inc. 
  • 2014.  Innovative & Interdisciplinary Research Grant for pre-dissertation work in Brazil.  UGA Graduate School. 
  • 2002. University of South Alabama’s Caldwell Scholarship for study abroad. University of Veracruz, Xalapa, México.

Contact Emily

E-mail: [email protected]
Departmental website: Here
ICON/CICR website: Here
Personal website: emilyyhorton.weebly.com
 

Current Research in Maranhão, Brazil

​This research is being supported by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and my hosting university - Universidade Estadual do Maranhão (UEMA). Here, I am pictured with my doctoral committee member Professor Raimunda Fortes (L) and graduate student Debora Sousa (R) from UEMA.
​My research centers on environmental governance and "zangaria" (pictured below), a type of small-scale fishing that plays an important role in many residents' well-being, particularly in terms of food security and livelihoods. As part of this, I'm studying the potential impacts of a seasonal zangaria fishing ban on local wellbeing.
​Fish and shrimp caught in zangaria provision food and income for local residents. In addition to being commercialized, these species are frequently gifted and redistributed via non-commodified exchange.
​Similar to global trends in fisheries, laboral roles can be highly gendered in the area I work, with women commonly preparing food. I'm interested in studying potential fishing-ban impacts upon residents' wellbeing and examining to what degree these impacts appear mediated by gender, particularly in terms of food security. Women also commonly cultivate plants used for subsistence, medicinal, and commercial purposes. Above, the liquid from urucu seeds (Bixa orellana) is being extracted for culinary use.
​One component of my research incorporates fish sampling, along with ethnoecological interviews, to understand how the fishing ban aligns with the temporal ecological patterns of species identified as important by local and governmental actors.