Julie L. Snorek
Research Associate
As a social ecologist, Julie Snorek has been developing an intricate understanding of social, ecological, and political transitions in the Sahel and Sahara where she has lived and worked for over twelve years with rural, nomadic and semi-nomadic societies. Throughout her research, Snorek strives to engage in a co-production of knowledge and to support and enhance practices of sustainability. Her interests and expertise include: soil regenerative agro-ecologies, feminist political ecology, environmentally-induced migration, climate change as it relates to conflict and cooperation dynamics, the links between hegemony, militarization, and extractive economies, the governance of common pool regimes, social and environmental justice movements, and just transitions or ‘alternatives’ to development. Along with her work in the Sahel, Snorek collaborates with ENVS professors and local partners to understand how social institutions like ubuntu support water management in South Africa and Namibia.
Snorek cut her teeth as a field biologist in the Alaska Marine Wildlife Refuge and served as a land and water manager for the US Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. During her doctorate, she served as a fellow for the United Nations University: Institute for Environment and Human Security in Germany and was hired to advise several international non-governmental organizations in Africa. She holds a PhD in Environmental Science and Technology from the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and speaks six languages including two West African languages.
Selected publications
Snorek J. and D. Abrahams. (2018). The Climate Conflict Nexus. Oxford University Bibliographies.
Snorek J., Moser L., and Renaud, F. (2017). The production of contested landscapes: enclosing the pastoral commons in Niger. Journal of Rural Studies.
Snorek, J. (2015). Summary Paper: ‘Governance and Management of the Nexus: Structures and Institutional Capacities.’ Change and Adaptations in Social Ecological Systems, 2: 115-117.
Snorek J. (2015). ‘Contested views of the causes of rural to urban migration amongst pastoralists in Niger.’ In Understanding Migration Decisions: From Sub-Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean. Ed. Bloom, T. Routledge Publishing.
Snorek J., Kloos J., and Renaud F. G. (2014). Divergent adaptation to climate variability: A pastoral-agricultural case study of Niger. Global Environmental Change.