Maria Perez
Associate Professor of Geography; Director of Undergraduate Studies
Profiles and Info
View CV for Maria PerezCategorized As
Role: Leadership,
Focus or Research Area: Geography,
Cultural Anthropology, Speleology, "caving culturally"
I am an Associate Professor in the Geography Program at West Virginia University’s Department of Geology and Geography. A cultural anthropologist by training, I investigate the cultural and historical context of scientific practice. In other words, I approach science as a cultural activity.
Speleology (cave science and exploration) serves as a case study with which I examine a range of topics such as:
- identity (Who are we? What brings us together?);
- place and emotion (How do places become meaningful? Why is it that we come to love some places more than others?);
- value (How do we come to value certain places over others, beyond dollars and cents?); and
- politics (Who has access to or owns what, and how far underground?
- Who has the means and power to represent the hidden dimensions of the Earth and to what effect?).
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