Andrew Willford, Cornell University
Associate Professor
Ithaca, New York
acw24@cornell.edu
Office:
(607) 255-2686
Expert In
Bio/Research
My previous research focused upon various forms of Tamil and Hindu displacement, revivalism, and identity politics in Malaysia, and to a lesser extent, India. Between 2003-2009, I conducted research upon Tamil plantation communities facing the uncertainties of retrenchment and relocation. This re...
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Bio/Research
My previous research focused upon various forms of Tamil and Hindu displacement, revivalism, and identity politics in Malaysia, and to a lesser extent, India. Between 2003-2009, I conducted research upon Tamil plantation communities facing the uncertainties of retrenchment and relocation. This research subsequently led me to investigate manifestations of ethnic consciousness in squatter areas and low-cost housing schemes within the context of state-sponsored nationalist ideologies of development. The book, Tamils and the Haunting of Justice (U. of Hawaii, 2014) was the culmination of this research.
In more recent times, I have embraced collaborative, engaged, and interdisciplinary research. This is seen most clearly in my current research project in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Here a multidisciplinary and collaborative project among a core team of Cornell faculty and local community members, partnered with a leading Indian NGO focused upon indigenous livelihoods, sustainability, and land rights, has created the Cornell-Keystone Nilgiris Field Learning Center. The development of the Cornell-Keystone Nilgiris Field Learning Center has been my primary research focus for the past three years. Directly related to this project, my current research in India on mental/neurological health and clinical care in urban and rural areas has recently been funded by both the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship as well as the AIIS Senior Fellowship.
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In more recent times, I have embraced collaborative, engaged, and interdisciplinary research. This is seen most clearly in my current research project in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. Here a multidisciplinary and collaborative project among a core team of Cornell faculty and local community members, partnered with a leading Indian NGO focused upon indigenous livelihoods, sustainability, and land rights, has created the Cornell-Keystone Nilgiris Field Learning Center. The development of the Cornell-Keystone Nilgiris Field Learning Center has been my primary research focus for the past three years. Directly related to this project, my current research in India on mental/neurological health and clinical care in urban and rural areas has recently been funded by both the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship as well as the AIIS Senior Fellowship.
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