Dr. Anthony Davis

Professor

Contact

Office: Evaristus Hall, Room 459

Phone: (902) 457-6296

Email: anthony.davis@msvu.ca

Dr. Anthony Davis, Professor (Anthropology) in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology , joined Mount Saint Vincent University, in September 2004 as Associate Vice-President (Research) following nineteen years of research and teaching as a member of the St. FX University faculty. He began teaching in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology during the 2010 academic year.

Research

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Davis is an anthropologist (PhD, University of Toronto) who has been involved in social research for over twenty-five years. This research has been supported by nine awards from a variety of SSHRC Programs, as well as several non-Council sources.

Empirically, much of Davis’ research examines the socio-economic organisation and dynamics of North Atlantic rim fisheries, fishing communities, and fishing families. Aspects of this work also address the impacts of fisheries management systems on small boat fishing peoples and communities. His research also examines relations between culture, social power and systems of domination.

Over the last five years or so, Davis’ research has focused on Native and non-native small boat fish harvesters’ local ecological knowledge. The primary foci here are development of research designs and methodologies that enable systematic documentation of local ecological knowledge, and primary documentation, in Northeastern Nova Scotian settings, of Native and non-native fish harvester ecological knowledge systems. Initial results from this work appear in Ecological Applications (forthcoming), the Journal of Ocean and Coastal Management (Fall 2006), the Canadian Journal of Native Studies (Spring 2005), Human Organization (Fall 2004), Canadian Journal of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries (Fall 2004), Human Ecology (Fall 2003), and Marine Policy (Fall 2001).

Davis continues to direct a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded university-community research alliance titled ‘Social Research for Sustainable Fisheries (SRSF)’. This alliance develops fisheries social research capacity among indigenous and non-native fishing peoples and organisations.

In addition, Davis has had many research-based commentary and information pieces appear in national and regional newspaper as well as fishing industry trade publications. Two recent SSHRC-funded research programs build on and extend these themes. These are: (Principal Investigator), Researching and Interpreting Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK): A Research and Concept Rich Results Process, and (Co-Applicant), Seeking Netukulimk: Mi’kmaq knowledge, culture, capacity, and empowerment.