Leslie E. Sponsel
 
Professor
                   Department of Arthropology
                   Ph.D., Cornell University, 1981
          sponsel@hawaii.edu
http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu

Research Interests

Buddhist ecology including environmental philosophy, ethics, and action, especially in Thailand
Biodiversity studies and conservation in relation to spiritual ecology and sacred places, especially in Thailand
The possible ecological relationships among Buddhist monks, sacred caves, bats, forests, and biodiversity in Thailand
Related teaching interests include these courses:

415 Ecological Anthropology
435 Human Adaptation to Tropical Forests
444 Spiritual Ecology
445 Sacred Places
482 Environmental Anthropology
620H Human Ecology

Selected Publications

2006 AReligion and Environment@ in Encyclopedia of Anthropology, H. James Birx, ed., Thousand Oaks, CA: AltaMira Press 5:2006-2009.
2005 ABiodiversity@in Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, Bron Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, New York, NY: Thoemmes Continuum 1:179-182,
2004 "Illuminating Darkness: The Monk-Cave-Bat-Ecosystem Complex in Thailand" (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel) in This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature, Environment, Roger S. Gottlieb, ed., New York, NY: Routledge pp. 134-144.

2003, "Buddhist Views of Nature and the Environment" (with Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel), in Nature Across Cultures: Non-Western Views of Nature and the Environment in Non-Western Cultures, Helaine Selin, ed., Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 351-371.
2003 Tropical Deforestation: The Human Dimension (co-editors Thomas N. Headland and Robert C. Bailey), Debhra Dun, India: Bishen Singh Mahedra Pal Singh(reprint for distribution in Asia of 1996 Columbia University Press book).
2001 "Human Impact on Biodiversity, Overview" in Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Simon Asher Levin, Editor-in-Chief, San Diego, CA: Academic Press 3:395-409.
2001, "Do Anthropologists Need Religion, and Vice Versa?: Adventures and Dangers in Spiritual Ecology," New Directions in Anthropology and Environment: Intersections, Carole Crumley, ed., Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, Ch. 9, pp. 177-200.
2001 "Why a Tree is More than a Tree: Reflections on the Spiritual Ecology of Sacred Trees in Thailand" (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel)in Santi Pracha Dhamma, Sulak Sivaraksa, et al., eds., Bangkok, Thailand: Santi Pracha Dhamma Institute pp. 364-373.
2000 Endangered Peoples of Southeast and East Asia: Struggles to Survive and Thrive, Editor, Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
1998, "Sacred and/or Secular Approaches to Biodiversity Conservation in Thailand" (co-authors Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, Nukul Ruttanadakul, and Somporn Juntadach), Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion 2(1):155-167.
1998, "The Historical Ecology of Thailand: Increasing Thresholds of Human Environmental Impact from Prehistory to the Present," in Advances in Historical Ecology, William Balee, ed., New York, NY: Columbia University Press, pp. 376-404.
1997 "A Theoretical Analysis of the Potential Contribution of the Monastic Community in Promoting a Green Society in Thailand" (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel) in Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection of Dharma and Deeds, Mary Evelyn Tucker and Duncan Williams, eds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions pp. 45-68.
1997, AEcological Anthropology,@The Dictionary of Anthropology, Thomas Barfield, ed., Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 137-140.
1995, "The Role of Buddhism in Creating a More Sustainable Society in Thailand," (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel) in Counting the Costs: Economic Growth and Environmental Change in Thailand, Jonathan Rigg, ed., Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, pp. 27-46.
1993 "The Potential Contribution of Buddhism in Developing an Environmental Ethic for the Conservation of Biodiversity" (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel) in Ethics, Religion, and Biodiversity: Relations Between Conservation and Cultural Values, Lawrence S. Hamilton, ed., Cambridge, U.K.: White Horse Press pp. 75-97.