Lesley Gill
Encyclopedia
Lesley Gill is an author and a professor of anthropology
at Vanderbilt University
. Her research focusses on political violence
, gender, free market reforms and human rights in Latin America
, especially Bolivia
. She also writes about the military training that takes place at the School of the Americas
and has campaigned for its closure. She has campaigned with Witness for Peace
.
(1977), and an M.A. (1978), M.Phil. (1980) and Ph.D. (1984) from Columbia University
. She was a visiting fellow at the University of East Anglia
from 1984 to 1985. Formerly at the American University
in Washington, she moved in 2008 to Vanderbilt to chair the Department of Anthropology. She is a member of the editorial committee of Dialectical Anthropology
.
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
. Her research focusses on political violence
Political violence
Political violence is a common means used by people and governments around the world to achieve political goals. Many groups and individuals believe that their political systems will never respond to their political demands. As a result they believe that violence is not only justified but also...
, gender, free market reforms and human rights in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, especially Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. She also writes about the military training that takes place at the School of the Americas
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation , formerly the United States Army School of the Americas is a United States Department of Defense educational and training facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia in the United States...
and has campaigned for its closure. She has campaigned with Witness for Peace
Witness for Peace
Witness for Peace is an United States-based activist organization founded in 1983 that opposed the Reagan administration's support of the Nicaraguan Contras, alleging widespread atrocities by these counterrevolutionary groups. Witness for Peace brought U.S. citizens to Nicaragua to see the effects...
.
Education and work
Gill has a B.A. from Macalester CollegeMacalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
(1977), and an M.A. (1978), M.Phil. (1980) and Ph.D. (1984) from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. She was a visiting fellow at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
from 1984 to 1985. Formerly at the American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington, she moved in 2008 to Vanderbilt to chair the Department of Anthropology. She is a member of the editorial committee of Dialectical Anthropology
Dialectical Anthropology
Dialectical Anthropology Dialectical Anthropology Dialectical Anthropology (print: , online: is a peer-reviewed Marxist anthropology journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. It was established in 1975 by Stanley Diamond (New School for Social Research)...
.
Works
- Peasants, Entrepreneurs, and Social Change: Frontier Development in Lowland Bolivia, Westview Press, 1987 ISBN 0-8133-7339-5
- Precarious Dependencies: Gender, Class, and Domestic Service in Bolivia, Columbia University Press, 1994 ISBN 0-231-09647-X
- Teetering on the Rim: Global Restructuring, Daily Life, and the Armed Retreat of the Bolivian State, Columbia University Press, 2000 ISBN 0-231-11805-8
- The School of the Americas: Military Training and Political Violence in the Americas, Duke University Press, 2004 ISBN 0-8223-3392-9