Shelton H. Davis
Encyclopedia
Shelton H. Davis was a Sector Manager in the Social Development Unit, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, Latin America and Caribbean Region (LCSES) at the World Bank
in Washington, D.C.
where he was responsible for the Bank's work on social development, including tribal and indigenous peoples
, civil society, resettlement, etc. He was Principal Sociologist in the Social Development Department from its creation in 1997 to August 1998. Between 1991 and 1997, he served as Principal Sociologist in the World Bank's central Environment Department; and before this, he worked in the Latin America and Caribbean Region's Environment Division.
Between 1984 and 1986, he was a visiting scholar at the OAS
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights where he conducted a study of international mechanisms for protecting the human rights of forest-dwelling Indian
populations in lowland South America
. He was also the founder and director of a hemispheric Indian documentation center called Indigena, Inc. in Berkeley
, California
(1973 1975), and the Anthropology Resource Center in Boston
, Massachusetts
(1975 1984).
He has written extensively on indigenous peoples, environment and development issues in Latin America, and his book Victims of the Miracle: Development and the Indians of Brazil (Cambridge University Press, 1977) is considered a classic in the field. He is also the author of Land Rights and Indigenous Peoples: The Role of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Cultural Survival, 1988); and the editor of Indigenous Views of Land and Environment (The World Bank, 1993) and, Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Development (The World Bank, 1995).
Dr. Davis has taught at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Harvard University
, University of California, Berkeley
, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, Boston University
, Clark University
, the University of Massachusetts Amherst
and most recently at Georgetown University
.
He received his undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology at Antioch College
(1965) and his Ph.D.
in Social Anthropology
from Harvard University
(1970). He also did special studies in Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (1963 and 1964), and doctoral research among Mayan
Indians in Guatemala
(1967 1969).
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where he was responsible for the Bank's work on social development, including tribal and indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
, civil society, resettlement, etc. He was Principal Sociologist in the Social Development Department from its creation in 1997 to August 1998. Between 1991 and 1997, he served as Principal Sociologist in the World Bank's central Environment Department; and before this, he worked in the Latin America and Caribbean Region's Environment Division.
Between 1984 and 1986, he was a visiting scholar at the OAS
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights where he conducted a study of international mechanisms for protecting the human rights of forest-dwelling Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
populations in lowland South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. He was also the founder and director of a hemispheric Indian documentation center called Indigena, Inc. in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(1973 1975), and the Anthropology Resource Center in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(1975 1984).
He has written extensively on indigenous peoples, environment and development issues in Latin America, and his book Victims of the Miracle: Development and the Indians of Brazil (Cambridge University Press, 1977) is considered a classic in the field. He is also the author of Land Rights and Indigenous Peoples: The Role of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Cultural Survival, 1988); and the editor of Indigenous Views of Land and Environment (The World Bank, 1993) and, Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Development (The World Bank, 1995).
Dr. Davis has taught at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
and most recently at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
.
He received his undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology at Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
(1965) and his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1970). He also did special studies in Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (1963 and 1964), and doctoral research among Mayan
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
Indians in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
(1967 1969).
Publications
- Victims of the Miracle: Development and the Indians of Brazil (Cambridge University Press, 1977)