Emily Hite, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Sociology and Anthropology
Courses Taught
Cultural Anthropology, Waterworlds: Anthropology of Water, Anthropology of the Apocalypse: Climate Fictions and Future Imaginaries.
Education
- Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder
- M.S. in Environmental Studies, Florida International University
- B.S. in Environmental Science, Drexel University
Research Interests
As an environmental anthropologist, I study the intersections of humans, water, and
climate, with a focus on the ways in which human-water relationships are both challenged
by and influence climate governance across scales. Broadly, my research, teaching,
and advocacy are concerned with the decision-making processes and justice issues related
to hydropower development, AI and data center infrastructures, the rights of nature,
the transformations of space and place, protection of free-flowing rivers, and climate
mitigation strategies. I conduct ethnographic research at United Nations' climate
meetings (where climate policies are orchestrated) and with local communities (where
policies are implemented). I am on the board of Save the World's Rivers, an active
participant with the Global River Protection Coalition and Rivers for Climate groups,
and I founded the Climate Change Interest Group of the American Anthropological Association.
Publications and Media Placements
Hite, Emily B., Maldonado, J., Marino, E., Callison, C. (In press). “Discipline in
Contradiction: Improving Anthropological Practices in Climate Change Research through
Participatory Processes and Collaborative Methodologies.” In Routledge Handbook of
Applied Anthropology. eds Alaka Wali, Ed Liebow, Christina Wasson, Karine Narahara,
and Mwenda Ntarangwi.
Hite, Emily B. The Many-headed Hydra: Assessing the Indigenous-hydropower cycle in Costa Rica. Journal of Political Ecology (In Press)
Hite, Emily B. Methane pledges and the future of hydropower, In Special Issue: Negotiating the Crisis: Critical Perspectives on Climate Governance, Hotspots. Fieldsites,
June 23. (2022)
Hite, Emily B., Garvin, J., Slayback, D., Burke, E., Callahan, G., Joyce, P., and Whittaker, K. “Exploring the human-nature dynamics of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha‘apai, Earth’s newest landmass.” In Special Issue: Environmental and societal impacts of past volcanic eruptions—integrating the geosciences with the historical, anthropological, and archaeological sciences. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 401. (2020)
Banks, E., Hite, Emily B., and Schwartz, S. 2025. “Green Conflicts and Alternative
Futures: A Critical Review of Latin America's Clean Energy Landscape.” Special Issue
“Transitions: The promises and pitfalls of “clean” energy as climate mitigation” in
Environment and Society: Advances in Research 16(1). https://doi.org/10.3167/ares.2025.160102
Hite, Emily B., Posner, S., and Jacka, J. 2025. “Violent environments and the low-carbon
energy
transition: Cautionary tales from Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea.” Political Geography,
122.
Hite, Emily B. 2025. “Making Sense of Unsustainable Realities: Hydropower and the
Sustainable
Development Goals.” Water, 17(13), 1857. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17131857
Hite, Emily B., Haverkamp, J., & Joshi, C. 2024. “Collaborative event ethnography
of the UNFCCC Process: power and (in)justice in global climate governance arenas.”
Climate and Development, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2024.2439378
Hite, Emily B., Perry, D., and Fauser, C. 2024. “FERC, hydropower, and tribal rights:
Confrontations at the Little Colorado.” Journal of Political Ecology 31(1): 994–1011.
https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.2930
Hite, Emily B. The Many-headed Hydra: Assessing the Indigenous-hydropower cycle in Costa Rica. Journal of Political Ecology (In Press)
Hite, Emily B. Methane pledges and the future of hydropower, In Special Issue: Negotiating the Crisis: Critical Perspectives on Climate Governance, Hotspots. Fieldsites,
June 23. (2022)
Hite, Emily B., Garvin, J., Slayback, D., Burke, E., Callahan, G., Joyce, P., and Whittaker, K. “Exploring the human-nature dynamics of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha‘apai, Earth’s newest landmass.” In Special Issue: Environmental and societal impacts of past volcanic eruptions—integrating the geosciences with the historical, anthropological, and archaeological sciences. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 401. (2020)
Honors and Awards
- Beaumont Scholarship Research Award at SLU (2026). “Ethnography of Sociotechnical Futures: Assessing proposed data centers in Saint Louis.” ($10,000)
- The Collaborative for Humanistic Inquiry Faculty Research Award at SLU (2025). “Ethnographic Insights Along the Great River Road.” ($5000)
- MS&T and Missouri Department of Natural Resources (2024-2026). “MoHIC Stream Prioritization for Gage Network Expansion.” Co-PI with the SLU Water Institute. ($178,900)
- Department of Energy (2024-2027). “Advancing Development and Resilient Adaptation Practices via Community-Driven Urban Transformation in Saint Louis, MO (ADAPT-STL).” ($975,000)
- National Science Foundation, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (SPRF-2104950), (2021-2023). "Hydrosocial territories of climate governance: an interdisciplinary examination of the Indigenous-hydropower nexus" ($138,000)
- National Science Foundation, Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (2018).(BCS-1756367)
- Social Science Research Council, Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (2018)
- Graduate Instructor Appreciation Award, University of Colorado Boulder (2021)
- Haskell-Houghtelin Scholarship, University of Colorado Boulder (2017)
- Willena D. Cartwright Scholarship, University of Colorado Boulder (2017)