Taylor, Marcus
Marcus Taylor
Department Head and Professor
PhD (Sociology), University of Warwick
Queen's University
Global Development Studies
Mackintosh-Corry Hall, A402
Office Hours By Appointment
ResearchGate Profile Google Scholar Profile
Cross-appointed to the Department of Sociology.
Administrative Email: devshead@queensu.ca
Research Interests
My research analyses the complex social and ecological forces that are reshaping contemporary agrarian regions in an era of political economic turbulence and climatic change. Working in the field of political ecology, I explore the dynamic interplay between government policies, food production, environmental change and rural livelihoods. My current SSHRC-funded research applies this approach to the transformation of rice production in contemporary Asia, including active field research in semi-arid India. Based on interviews with farmers, labourers, agricultural officers and policy makers, I examine how differential access to land, water, labour and credit shapes who can implement and benefit from new methods of rice intensification.
Prior to this project, my previous book, The Political Ecology of Climate Change Adaptation (Routledge 2015), provided the first systematic critique of the concept of climate change adaptation within the field of international development. Earlier published work explored themes in the political economy of development including labour and global commodity chains; labour markets, social policy and anti-poverty policies in Latin America; and the promises and pitfalls of microfinance as a development tool.
Supervision
I welcome graduate students interested in studying any aspect of the social, political and environmental forces shaping contemporary agriculture and the associated impacts upon food security and rural livelihoods. Additionally, I continue to supervise widely in the areas of political ecology and political economy; labour in the global economy; livelihoods and anti-poverty poverty policies.
