Two graduate positions in Geography

The Land, Environment and Development lab (www.lendev.weebly.com) at the Department of Geography of McGill University (Montreal, Canada) is looking for two motivated individuals to join us as Master (MSc or MA) or PhD students in September 2024.

The first proposed project centers on how the expansion of large farms influences the ability of forest-dependent smallholders to cope with climatic and hydrological stress, with the aim of improving understanding of the intersection between natural resource access and livelihood resilience in dynamic landscapes. The project will focus on the Pilcomayo River basin in the Paraguayan Chaco, a dry woodland region that has experienced extremely high rates of deforestation since the 2000s. However, other topics and geographies may be considered if they are in line with the position title. 

The second proposed project examines land prospection and acquisition by Low-German Mennonites in Latin America. Low-German Mennonites are an ethno-religious group whose cultural and religious values have historically led them to seek isolation from the rest of society by creating settlements in remote frontier regions. The project will study the ways that Mennonites prospect for and acquire land across national borders in Latin America, asking what role cultural and religious considerations play in these processes, and how these land acquisitions influence other frontier actors, with the aim of informing theories of frontier land-use change. The project will focus on recent Mennonite colonies in Peru, Argentina, and/or Bolivia. However, other topics and geographies may be considered if they are in line with the position title.

For more information, visit https://lendev.weebly.com/join-the-lab.html