Liberal Arts and Sciences
Chalfin Lab
Led by Brenda Chalfin · Anthropology
What we study
Professor Brenda Chalfin studies urban governance, material flows, and state processes in Africa, focusing on infrastructure breakdown and public responses in Ghana. Her work combines ethnographic fieldwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.
What working here is like
- Fieldwork
- Project
- 1
- Papers
- 2
Current projects
Plastics, water supply, and urban development
Exploring the intersection of environmental policies, urban planning, and public health in Ghana and Uganda.
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Sand as Matter and Method
2026 · Environmental Humanities
Explores how sand shapes human activity and environments across different regions.
- Artisans of the African Anthropocene: crafting the Patchy Plasticene in northern Ghana
2026 · Africa
Examines how plastic water tanks help people in Ghana adapt to climate change.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Brenda Chalfin hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.