Miryam (34), who is from Peru, is pursuing a PhD degree at the Department of Cultural Anthropology at City University of New York.
Miryam grew up in Lima, and has always feel herself personally connected to the Amazon. She was touched by this region’s social problems--high poverty levels, environmental degradation, and entrenchment of illegal economies. In trying to understand and confront these realities, she decided to study Political Science. After graduating with honors, she worked in the Ministries of Women and Social Development, where she engaged with Tikunas and Yaguas indigenous communities.
Miryam received a full scholarship from the European Union and studied both in the Netherlands and Spain for her Master’s degree where she critically approached development interventions in the Global South and was introduced to feminist ecological perspectives
Miryam’s dissertation title is ‘Between biodiversity loss and life proliferation: Tikunas and Yaguas ecological relationalities in the Peruvian Amazon.’. Her research enquires into the dynamics of biodiversity in the Peruvian Amazon in the context of the penetration of illegal and extractive industries. In particular, she will explore the ways in which biodiversity is affected by the agrarian practices of coca cultivation carried out by Tikunas and Yaguas in the region of Loreto.
Miryam expects to graduate in 2022 and upon her graduation, she is planning to return to Peru, become a Professor in Anthropology and an intellectual force to influence state and national governments by expressing the indigenous voice. She aims to promote the creation of interdisciplinary spaces for the study of environmental problems. She specifically wants to give a voice to indigenous women and youth in managing their environment.
