
Dr. Anne-Marie Hanson
Bio: Dr. Anne-Marie Hanson is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies (ENS) and serves on the Executive Committee for the UI System's Discovery Partners Institute. Her research explores the intersections of gender, pollution, environmental change, and marine ecosystem management, as well as issues of environmental justice linked to wastes, plastic pollution, and materials management.
Research Tags: feminist political ecology, sustainable development, environmental justice, urban sustainability, Latin American geography, discard studies
Current research projects: (1) gender, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as linked to climate change, marine debris, and urban development in coastal Mexico and the Caribbean, (2) citizen science and art-science collaborations to promote pollution prevention and environmental justice along Illinois waterways, and (3) circular economies and inclusive regional sustainability in Illinois.
Dr. Hanson's research combines approaches from the humanities, social sciences, and environmental science. This work includes environmental oral histories, interviews, and collective storytelling, shoreline debris surveys, narrative policy analysis, participatory GIS and community-based mapping projects. Her graduate students also use mixed-methods or participatory approaches in their projects.
Courses Taught: ENS 251 Introduction to Environmental Science, ENS 401 Environmental Justice: Science, Policy, and Activism, ENS 472 Urban Environments, ENS 475 Political Ecology Aka the Political Life of Trees, Trash and Turtles, ENS 476 Environmental Ethics, ENS 450 Undergraduate Capstone, ENS 552 Environmental Social Sciences and Humanities, ENS 571 Sustainable Development.
Select Publications:
- Buechler, S. and A.M. Hanson, eds. (2015) A Political Ecology of Women, Water and Global Environmental Change. London: Routledge.
- Hanson, A.M. (2020) Feminist Futures in Latin American Geography. Journal of Latin American Geography, 19(1): 215-224.
- Hanson, A.M. (2017) Women’s activism linking plastic pollution to community health in the coastal wetlands of Yucatán. Gender and Development 25(2):221-234.
- Finn, J. and A.M. Hanson. (2017) Critical Geographies in Latin America. Journal of Latin American Geography 16(1):1-15.
UNEP Publications:
- United Nations Environment Programme and Gender and Water Alliance (2022). Gender Mainstreaming in Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management: Principles, Case Studies and Lessons Learned. Nairobi.
- United Nations Environment Programme and Gender and Water Alliance (2019) Gender Mainstreaming in the Management of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems. UN Environment Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 212.
- United Nations Environment Programme (2016) Marine plastic debris and microplastics – Global lessons and research to inspire action and guide policy change. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme.
Recent Op-Eds and Interviews
- Hanson, A.M. & A. Crocker. (2020). Ending the Stay-at-Home Order Won’t End Violence Against Women and Girls. Truthout. 28 May 2020.
- Hanson, A.M. & A. Crocker. (2020). Latin American Women and the Constant Fight to End Violence Against Women. The Hill. 30 January 2020.
- Hanson, A.M. (2020). Gloves, boxes, and masks: Waste visibility, challenges, and opportunities during and post pandemic. The Capitol Connection, University of Illinois Springfield. 3 December 2020.
- Illinois Public Radio (2020, November 28) “COVID Trickle-Down Effects: The Good, TheBad, And The Ponies” Rising to the Challenge Podcast. Illinois Public Radio.
- Illinois Public Radio (2020, May 20). “The Environmental Implications of Staying Home .” The 21 Show.
- Hanson, A.M. (2020). Centering the Ocean in an Uncertain World: A Post for Inland Communities on World Oceans Day. The Capitol Connection, University of Illinois Springfield. 8 June 2020.
Degrees:
Ph.D., Geography and Development, University of Arizona
M.A. Latin American Studies, University of Arizona
B.A. Anthropology, B.A. Spanish, Luther College