Dr. Valerie Dkhar
About
Research Area
Dr. Valerie Dkhar, Associate Professor & Head, Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University, is a cultural anthropologist specializing in Ecological Anthropology with a Ph.D. from North Eastern Hill University, Shillong from which she also pursued her Master’s degree in Anthropology. With over 19 years of teaching and research experience, she has several publications to her credentials and is a member of various professional bodies. She has participated and presented papers in many conferences and seminars and delivered several invited lectures. She has also organized numerous academic and cultural events. Her research interest lies in understanding the dynamics between culture, ecology, and economics within the socio-ecological systems (SES) framework, natural resource management, sacred natural sites and traditional ecological knowledge. She is a five-time recipient of the “Certificate of Merit in Teaching”, most popularly known as “The Best Teacher Award” (2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2022), conferred by Pondicherry University. She also received the UGC-JRF Fellowship in December 2000 and stood 1st Class 1st in M. Sc Anthropology in 2001. She was awarded an ICSSR Major project on Sacred Groves (ongoing) and is presently heading the Department of Anthropology, Pondicherry University.
Notable & Recent Publications
Giri Murugan P. and Valerie Dkhar. Evaluation of People’s Perceptions Towards the Bonnet Macaques (Macaca radiata) of the Sankagiri Hillock of South India: An Ethnoprimatological Study. Primate Conservation, Vol. 38, pp 163–173, (2024). Impact Factor: 0.928
Sagar Kodi and Valerie Dkhar. Livelihood Strategies and Covid-19: A Study of the Chenchus of Nallamala Forest, Andhra Pradesh. Antrocom Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 19, Issue 1, pp 703-710, (2023).
Rashmi Snigdha Rout and Valerie Dkhar. Ownership of the Forest Commons: A Study of North-western Gandhamardhan Hills of Odisha. Tribal Studies: A Journal of Council of Analytical Tribal Studies (COATS), Vol. 11, Issue 1, pp 39-47, (2023).
M. Singson, S.K. Sunny, S. Thiyagarajan, V. Dkhar. Citation Behavior of Pondicherry University Faculty in Digital Environment: A Survey. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, Vol. 69, No. 4/5, pp. 363-375, (2020).
Dkhar, Valerie. Multicultural Voices in Environmental Education: Relevance and Importance. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, Vol 9, Issue 3, pp. 634-639, (2019).