Visiting Assistant Professor, Geography
plachtnx@jmu.edu
Contact Info
Education
- Ph.D. Global Studies, University of Bern (Switzerland)
- M.A. Social Anthropology, Heidelberg University (Germany)
- B.A. Religion, Heidelberg University (Germany)
Experience
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto, Department of Geography and Planning (2021-2023)
- Visiting Scholar, University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Geography (2020)
- Resident Director, Heidelberg University, South Asia Institute, Kathmandu Office (2014-2019)
- Executive Committee Member, Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies (ANHS) (since 2023)
- Editorial Board Member, Roadsides (since 2018)
- Book Reviews Editor, HIMALAYA (since 2021)
Research Interests
- Citizenship and belonging (in relation to Indigenous and ethnic identities)
- Conservation areas and national parks
- Conflict and social/political mobilization
- Development discourses and practices
- Environmental and climate justice
- Indigenous law and legal systems
- Local governance
- Roads and infrastructures
- Sustainable futures
- Traditional ecological knowledge
Courses Taught
- GEOG 200: Geography, The Global Dimension
- GEOG 350: Environmental and Climate Justice
- ISAT 160: Problem Solving Approaches in Science and Technology
Connect
College of Integrated Science and Engineering
