Jessica Sainsbury Lectureship in the Anthropology of Amazonia

Exploring indigenous governance and cultural resilience in Amazonia through the Jessica Sainsbury Lectureship

I spent some of my childhood in the Amazon region – my father was a forestry engineer and my mother was a legal expert in indigenous land rights. So, I have always had a deep connection to the region and, when I was young, I knew I wanted to continue to experience social life among diverse cultures.

"Indigenous approaches to managing forests biodiversity, land, welfare and justice offer solutions for global crises like climate change and deforestation. I think it is important that indigenous movements are pushing for participative governance that prioritises their well-being over economic gain."

For my PhD, I wanted to research how people experience social change. I initially planned a project on gender fluidity and the legacy of colonialism in Southeast Asia, but then I came across some books about the Amazon and its indigenous people. Reading about the very people I knew personally made me want to return to study them more closely—to understand their struggles and challenges. I ended up doing fieldwork in the Amazon for nearly two years.

I faced many challenges during my time with the Shuar people, including adapting to unfamiliar food, crossing rivers alone, and learning their language, which had only recently developed an alphabet. While teaching social sciences in a local high school, I learned the language by observing daily life. I also supported a local federation in protecting their land from industry encroachment, studying how the Shuar adapted to state presence while trying to maintain autonomy. Once self-sufficient, they were now navigating changes brought by missionaries and the state, balancing intercultural education and involvement in national politics.

My research shows that indigenous communities don’t just adopt external institutions; they creatively reinvent them. They develop new approaches, from democratic assemblies to organising school meals, adapting systems to meet their needs—a concept I call institutional plasticity. For example, their assemblies are recent innovations designed to engage with local bureaucracies while maintaining autonomy.

This adaptability is crucial as external forces often impose their own ideas about modernisation. Indigenous groups, however, have their own models of development, offering lessons in sustainable governance, as seen in Ecuador’s and Bolivia's recognition of multiple nations within one state. Their approaches to managing forests biodiversity, land, welfare and justice offer innovative solutions for global crises like

climate change and deforestation. I think it is important that indigenous movements are pushing for participative governance that prioritises their well-being over economic gain.

I followed my PhD with further teaching and research focused on the region, so it was amazing for me to see this Lectureship advertised, as Amazonia rarely attracts geopolitical interest in the UK. Securing the role was a dream come true. Cambridge offers a unique academic environment and the chance to drive local change. I'm fortunate to work with remarkable colleagues, and I love teaching.

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In 2000, Cambridge alumna Jessica Sainsbury donated to fund a lectureship in the Anthropology of Amazonia, inspired by her undergraduate experiences and work with indigenous rights groups in the Department of Social Anthropology. The lectureship builds on the legacy of Stephen Hugh-Jones, whose work with the Barasana people of north-west Amazonia has been vital in preserving their cultural heritage. The £1.5 million fund is invested in the Cambridge University Endowment Fund.‍