Vasna Ramasar

Biography

I am currently an Associate Senior Lecturer in the Division of Human Ecology, Department of Human Geography and a Research affiliate at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS) in Sweden. I am also the Programme Director for the Culture, Power and Sustainability internaitonal Masters. I was born and raised in South Africa, a dynamic country, where I learnt important lessons of freedoms, people’s roles in nature and about inequality. I have 10 years research, consulting and teaching experience across southern and eastern Africa, Asia, Europe and north America.  In the past, my work has focused on water governance, environmental assessment and policy, HIV/AIDS and the environment and sustainability but being a generalist at heart, I am most interested trying to understand the big picture of how people and planetary dynamics come together and the complexity of these interactions.

Current Research

My work is framed within the broad field of political ecology and I seek to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to questions of development and sustainability. I have recently focused my research on the politics of scale within development and environmental governance in the areas of the energy crisis, health and the environment and water governance. I am also interested in feminist and decolonail approaches to environment and development.

My currently funded research is focused on social and environmental justice looking at just transitions and alternatives to development.

Key areas of expertise

• Development and sustainability
• Politics of sustainability
• Environmental governance
• Environmental and social justice and human rights
• Energy transition
• Water politics and governance
• Research methods
• Environmental assessment and management
• Health and the environment
• Environmental policy
• Project management

My PhD research focused on the political economy of water and how cross-scalar interactions influence inequitable water allocations.

See my thesis

Teaching

I teach, supervise and examine students at undergraduate, Masters and doctoral levels in courses covering environmental governance, development and sustainability, health, theory of science, and sustainability science. I also have a particular interest in qualitative research methods education, research ethics and theory of science - particularly a feminist and decolonial approach to knowledge. I have been the Director of studies for the Lund University Masters in International Development and am currently the Programme Manager for the Culture, Power and Sustainability Masters programme in Human Ecology. I have supervised and examined over thirty Masters students in Human Ecology and Environmental Management and Sustainability Science as well as co-supervising two doctoral candidates in Human Ecology.