Jennifer Keahey
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Mail code: 3051Campus: West
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I am a development sociologist with more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications on issues pertaining to global justice and sustainable development. I have worked in several world regions and possess significant expertise in anti-racist, anti-colonial, and feminist perspectives. I am particularly interested in Black, Indigenous, and Global South development approaches that challenge conventional thought/praxis. I am skilled in the use of qualitative, mixed, and participatory action research (PAR) methods that open spaces for multi-paradigmatic knowledge building.
My work advances development theory and practice in two key ways. First, it decolonizes theory to improve understanding of development and its alternatives. By interrogating the power dynamics informing sustainability in action, I unpack structural, relational, and cognitive barriers and identify pathways for transformation. Second, my work informs social research methods through the publication of critical reflections and systematic reviews of practice. By clarifying standards and methods that support connection across difference, I strengthen ethics for interdisciplinary and intercultural engagement.
I currently am working on two book projects that problematize the politics of sustainability through the lens of social justice.
Decolonizing Sustainable Development is a solo-authored comparative historical study of post-authoritarian transitions to sustainability in Latvia and South Africa. This book unpacks the oppressive legacies and insurgent knowledges informing development in societies situated at two frontiers of the modern-colonial world system. More specifically, it examines efforts to develop alternative food systems and sustainability agendas at a time of democratization and free-market triumphalism. Drawing from qualitative and participatory fieldwork with local farming communities, the book offers situated insight into cultural negotiations with marginalization and agency; tradition and modernity; heritage and change. It joins political economy analysis with the Indigenous knowledges of formerly colonized peoples to develop a decolonial theory and practice of sustainable development that challenges business-as-usual.
Democratizing Energy is an edited volume on energy and democracy. As co-editor, I have organized a diverse body of scholars to examine questions pertaining to energy insecurities, risks, and transitions to sustainability. Their rich contributions range from theoretical coverage of energy imaginaries to empirical analyses of alternative energy formations that are occurring in societies around the world.
I also remain involved in a research project on development ethics and research methods. Currently, I have produced three solo-authored articles: (1) a systematic review of peer-reviewed sustainable development studies that employ participatory action research to facilitate transitions to sustainability; (2) an article on development research ethics that delivers a common set of principles for planning, conducting, and evaluating international development research; and (3) a article on transnational feminisms that examines the politics of oppression and liberation in development.
Completed Research Projects
- Livelihoods and Well-Being in the South African Cederberg
- Knowledge and Capacity in South African Rooibos Tea
- Organic Agriculture and Market Development in Latvia
- Fair Trade Movement: The Case of Ten Thousand Villages
- Ph.D. Sociology, Colorado State University
- M.A. International Development and Social Change, Clark University
- B.A. Anthropology and French, University of Utah
- Globalization and development
- Social justice and sustainability
- Decolonizing research and practice
- Keahey, Jennifer. Forthcoming. "Ethics for Development Research." Sociology of Development.
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2020. "Sustainable Development and Participatory Action Research: A Systematic Review." Systemic Practice and Action Research. Online First.
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2019. "Sustainable Heritage Development in the South African Cederberg." Geoforum 104:36-45.
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2019. "Knowledge in Action: Negotiating Power in Development." Action Research Online First.
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2018. "Can Market-based Sustainability Resolve the Development Crisis?" Sociological Insights for Development Policy 3(4).
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2018. "Gendered Livelihoods and Social Change in Post-apartheid South Africa." Gender, Place and Culture 25(4):525-46.
- Keahey, Jennifer, Laura T. Raynolds, Sandra Kruger and Andries du Toit. 2018. "Participatory Commodity Networking: An Integrated Framework for Fair Trade Research and Support." Action Research 16(1):25-42.
- Keahey, Jennifer and Douglas L. Murray. 2017. "The Promise and Perils of Market-based Sustainability." Sociology of Development 3(2):143-162.
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2016. "Whose Knowledge Counts? Developing Fair Trade Skills in South Africa." Globalizations 13(4):409-24.
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2015. "Fair Trade and Racial Equity in Africa." Pp. 441-56 in The Handbook of Research on Fair Trade, edited by L.T. Raynolds and E.A. Bennett. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
- Raynolds, Laura T. and Jennifer Keahey. 2014. "Fair Trade: Social Justice and Production Alternatives." Pp. 165-81 in The Routledge Companion to Alternative Organization, edited by M. Parker et al. New York, NY: Routledge.
- Keahey, Jennifer, Mary Littrell, and Douglas Murray. 2011. "Business with a Mission: The Ongoing Role of Ten Thousand Villages within the Fair Trade Movement." Pp. 265-83 in A Table of Sharing: Mennonite Central Committee and Expanding Networks of Mennonite Identity, edited by A.E. Weaver, Telford, PA: Cascadia Publishing House.
- Jennifer Keahey. 2009. "Regional Economic Integration and Local Food: The Case of Latvia during European Union Accession." International Journal of Sustainable Society 1(3):292-304.
- Raynolds, Laura T. and Jennifer Keahey. 2007. "Fair Trade, Gender, and the Environment in Africa." Pp. 213-24 in The Handbook on Trade and the Environment, edited by K. Gallagher. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
- Keahey, Jennifer. 2007. "Review: Policymaking for a Good Society by F. Gregory Hayden." The Social Science Journal 44(2):399-401.
Courses
2023 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
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SOC 493 | Honors Thesis |
SOC 331 | Environmental Sociology |
SOC 101 | Introductory Sociology |
JHR 592 | Research |
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 599 | Thesis |
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
2022 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
JHR 598 | Special Topics |
JHR 501 | PS Social Justice&Human Rights |
JHR 592 | Research |
SOC 426 | Social Inequalities |
JHR 580 | Practicum |
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
JHR 599 | Thesis |
SOC 492 | Honors Directed Study |
2022 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
JHR 599 | Thesis |
SOC 331 | Environmental Sociology |
JHR 592 | Research |
SOC 101 | Introductory Sociology |
2021 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
JHR 599 | Thesis |
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 598 | Special Topics |
SOC 426 | Social Inequality |
JHR 592 | Research |
JHR 501 | PS Social Justice&Human Rights |
2021 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
SOC 101 | Introductory Sociology |
SOC 101 | Introductory Sociology |
JHR 592 | Research |
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 599 | Thesis |
2020 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
JHR 599 | Thesis |
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 598 | Special Topics |
SOC 426 | Social Inequality |
JHR 592 | Research |
JHR 501 | PS Social Justice&Human Rights |
2020 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
SOC 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
ASB 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
POS 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
SBS 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
JHR 599 | Thesis |
SOC 331 | Environmental Sociology |
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 592 | Research |
2019 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
SOC 426 | Social Inequality |
JHR 501 | PS Social Justice&Human Rights |
JHR 592 | Research |
JHR 590 | Reading and Conference |
JHR 599 | Thesis |
JHR 598 | Special Topics |
JHR 593 | Applied Project |
2019 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
JHR 599 | Thesis |
SOC 331 | Environmental Sociology |
SOC 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
SBS 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
POS 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
ASB 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
2018 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
JHR 599 | Thesis |
JHR 598 | Special Topics |
SOC 426 | Social Inequality |
2018 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
SBS 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
POS 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
SOC 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
SOC 331 | Environmental Sociology |
ASB 339 | Grassroots Social Movements |
- Session Co-Organizer. Frontiers of Feminist Development. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting (Aug 2018).
- Jennifer Keahey. Cultivating Heritage: Sustainable Development in the South African Cederberg. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting (Aug 2018).
- Jennifer Keahey. Knowledge in Action: Negotiating Theories of Power in the Field. Action Research Network of the Americas Annual Meeting, University of California San Diego (June 2018).
- Jennifer Keahey. Negotiating Power: Intersectional Praxis in Action Research. Annual Sociology of Development Conference, Wayne State University (Oct 2017).
- Jennifer Keahey. The Ethics of Development Research: A Critical Review. Annual Sociology of Development Conference, Wayne State University (Oct 2017).
- Jennifer Keahey. Gendered Livelihoods and Community Politics in Post-apartheid South Africa. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting (Aug 2017).
- Jennifer Keahey. Staan Saam: Intersectional and Participatory Development in South Africa. Annual Sociology of Development Conference, Cornell University (Oct 2016).
- Jennifer Keahey. Capabilities for Sustainability: Livelihoods and Culture in the South African Cederberg. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting (Aug 2016).
- Jennifer Keahey. Participatory Commodity Networking: An Integrated Framework for Fairtrade Research and Support. ASU Democracy Conference (Dec 2015).
- Jennifer Keahey. Whose Knowledge Counts? Skills Development in Fairtrade Producer Networks. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting (Aug 2015).
- Jennifer Keahey. The Sustainability of Power or the Power of Sustainability? Emerging Farmer Participation in South Africa's Rooibos Tea Industry. Annual Sociology of Development Conference, Brown University (Mar 2015).
- Jennifer Keahey. Fair Trade and Racial Equity in Africa. International Studies Association Annual Convention (Feb 2015).
- Jennifer Keahey. Sustainability, Power, and Participation in South Africa's Rooibos Tea Industry. SBS Symposium at ASU West (Oct 2014).
- Jennifer Keahey. Fair Trade and Racial Equity in Africa. Western Social Science Association Annual Conference (Apr 2014).
- Jennifer Keahey. Paternalism or Empowerment? Racial (In)Equity in African Fair Trade. New College Faculty Colloquium at ASU West (Mar 2014).
- Jennifer Keahey. From Dependency to Interconnectedness: Introducing the Participatory Commodity Network Research Approach. American Sociological Association Development Sociology Conference (Oct 2013).
- Jennifer Keahey. Emerging Markets, Sustainable Methods: Political Economy Empowerment in South Africa's Rooibos Tea Sector. Sociology in Progress Lecture Series (Feb 2013).
- Jennifer Keahey. South Africa's Rooibos Tea Industry: Social Sustainability Dimensions and Prospects. American Sociological Association Development Sociology Conference (Nov 2012).
- Jennifer Keahey. Commodity Networking for Sustainable Development: Fair Trade and South Africa's Emerging Rooibos Tea Sector. American Sociological Association Annual General Meeting (Aug 2012).
- Jennifer Keahey. New Methods for Sustainable Development: Participatory Commodity Networking within South Africa's Emerging Rooibos Tea Sector. Center for Fair & Alternative Trade Seminar (May 2012).
- Jennifer Keahey and Sandra Kruger. Improving Market Access for Emerging South African Rooibos Farmers. UC Davis HortCRSP Workshop (Apr 2011).
- Jennifer Keahey. Sustainable Market Access Development in South Africa's Emerging Rooibos Tea Sector. Africa Rising: New Enterprise Solutions to Old Development Problems Research Colloquium (Mar 2011).
Associate: Center for Fair & Alternative Trade (CFAT)
Member: American Sociological Association (ASA)
Member: Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA).
- Chair Elect, Sociology of Development, American Sociological Association (2018 - Present)
- Ad Hoc Journal, Book, and Grant Reviewer (2011 - Present)
- Co-founder & Co-Chair, Feminist Development Subsection of ASA Sociology of Development (2016; 2017 - 2018)
- Webmaster, ASA Sociology of Development (2016 - 2018)
- Council Member, ASA Political Economy of the World System (2015 - 2018)
- Facebook Master, ASA Sociology of Development (2011-2016)
- Member, ASU Interdisciplinary Global Learning and Engagement Advisory Board (2014 - Present)
- Member, ASU West Campus Sustainability Committee (2014 - Present)
- Refugee Farm Volunteer, International Rescue Committee (IRC) New Roots Farm Project (2014)
EDUCAIDS Intern: Education Sector, UNESCO (2006)
Refugee Volunteer Coordinator: Catholic Community Services (2002-2003)
Volunteer Teacher Trainer: United States Peace Corps (1999-2002)