Rahul C. Oka, PhD

“As an economic anthropologist, I use archaeological, historical, and ethnographic data from port cities and merchants across the Indian Ocean to study the evolution of trade, commerce, and finance in human societies. This integrative approach has also enabled me to investigate the complex social economies of refugee camps and conflict zones in Northwestern Kenya. Now I have been engaged with UNHCR, the World Bank, and the local governments to encourage them to move away from the refugee encampment paradigm toward self-sustaining settlements for refugees and hosts together. The AAA supports building historically and culturally sensitive, and scientifically valid and actionable knowledge for understanding the past, present, and the future. I am AAA.”