Department of Geography, Cambridge

PhD candidate

Tami explores the production of autonomous indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon

Biography

Qualifications

PhD, University of Cambridge, expected 2023
- Visting scholar, University of Oslo, SUM, 2022
MSc, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 2011
BSc with Honours, University of British Columbia, 2009

Awards

National Geographic Early Career Grant 2019/23
Edwin Leong Travel Award, Hughes Hall College 2022
RGS-IBG Historical Geography Research Group Postgraduate Funding 2022
AAG Graduate Student Affinity Group Research and Support Award 2022
Society of Latin American Studies Research Support Award 2020/21
Department of Geography, University of Cambridge 2019/20
Society of Latin American Studies Postgraduate Travel Grant 2019/20
Centre for Latin American Studies Simon Bolivar Fund, University of Cambridge 2019/20
AAG Latin American Specialty Group Field Study Award 2019/20
A.J. Pressland Fund 2019/20
Worts Traveling Scholars Fund 2019/20
Norwegian Latin American Research Network Student Scholarship 2010/11
Fritt Ord Foundation’s Student Grant 2011/12
Joseph and Joyce Gardner Scholarship 2009/10
University of British Columbia President’s Entrance Scholarship 2006/7
Oscar Soderman Memorial Scholarship 2005/6

Research

My research interests centre on postcolonial territory and critical geographies of indigeneity. I engage collaborative geographical methods and postcolonial and decolonial approaches to development and state level planning. I am interested in the potential of autonomous indigenous territory-making in opening spaces for knowledge production and spatial epistemologies around territory and territorial governance in postcolonial contexts, particularly in the Amazon region.

I have been collaborating with Amazonian Indigenous peoples for over 10 years. My current work builds upon this ongoing engagement.

My PhD research explores the production of autonomous indigenous territories in relation with dominant Eurocentric geographical representations, notions and uses. In collaboration with the Wampis Nation -the first autonomous territorial indigenous government in Peru- I interrogate prevailing colonial notions of territory in the Peruvian Amazon and their influence on historically naturalised cartographies and statecraft, and current territorial governance schemes.

Publications

Peer-reviewed

O’Callaghan-Gordo, C., Rosales, J., Lizárraga, P., Barclay, F., Okamoto, T., Papoulias, D., Espinosa, A., Orta-Martínez, M., Kogevinas, M., Astete, J. (2023) Levels of Arsenic, Cadmium, and Mercury in Urine of Indigenous People Living Close to Oil Extraction Areas in the Peruvian Amazon. Environmental Health Perspectives, doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106639
O’Callaghan-Gordo, C., Rosales, J., Lizárraga, P., Barclay, F., Okamoto, T., Papoulias, D., Espinosa, A., Orta-Martínez, M., Kogevinas, M., Astete, J. (2021) Blood lead levels in indigenous peoples living close to oil extraction areas in the Peruvian Amazon. Environmental International, doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106639
O’Callaghan-Gordo, C., Flores, J.A., Lizárraga, P., Okamoto, T., Papoulias, D., Barclay, F., Orta-Martínez, M., Kogevinas, M., Astete, J. (2018) Oil spills in the Amazon basin and exposure to metals in indigenous populations. Journal of Environmental Research, v. 162, p.226-230. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.01.013.

Book

Zúñiga Lossio, M. and Okamoto, T. (2019) ‘Sin Derechos, No hay Consulta’ Aproximación a las miradas indígenas sobre el proceso de Consulta Previa en el Lote 192 de la Amazonía peruana [‘No Consultation without Rights.’ Approaching indigenous perspectives on the Previous Consultation process in Oil Block 192 in the Peruvian Amazon]. 172pp.

Book chapters

Zúñiga Lossio, M. and Okamoto, T., (2018) Los pueblos indígenas ante las puertas ambientales. Límites y posibilidades de las políticas ambientales desde el caso del Lote 192 (ex 1AB) en Loreto, Perú [Indigenous peoples at the environmental gate. Limits and possibilities of environmental policy in Loreto, Peru], in Chirif, A. (ed.) Deforestación en Tiempos de Cambio Climático. IWGIA. p.157-178
Okamoto, T., Leifsen, E. (2012) Oil spills, contamination and unruly engagements with indigenous peoples in the Peruvian Amazon, in Haarstad, H. (ed.) New Political Spaces in Latin American Natural Resource Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. p.177-198. doi: 10.1057/9781137073723_9

Selected seminar and conference presentations

Geographies of modern Amazonia. Remaking territory among the Wampis Nation. Research Seminars in Human Geography, University of Oslo (September 2022)
Boundary making and indigenous geographies in Amazonia. Royal Geographical Society International Annual Conference (August 2022)
The postcolonial territory in Amazonia. Some reflections on the Anthropocene. MPhil Anthropocene Studies student-led seminar, University of Cambridge (June 2022)
Coloniality and autonomy in contemporary geographical approaches to Amazonian indigenous territories. American Association of Geographers’ Annual Meeting (February 2022)
Demarcation and zoning of autonomous Indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon. With E. Tuesta. The International Congress of Geography of the South of Peru (August 2021)
Decolonising Territory: Recentring indigenous geographies in Amazonia. Latin America and the Caribbean PhD Research Day. Centre for Latin American Studies, University of Cambridge (May 2019)

Policy reports

Pérez, W., Okamoto, T. and Niederberger, T. (2021) Iña Wampisti Nunke: The Integral Territory of the Wampis Nation in the Peruvian Amazon, in Territories of Life, Territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities – ICCAs. Spanish version
CDC (2020) Analysis of the Health Situation of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon living in the area of the Four Basins and the Chambira River [Análisis de la Situación de Salud de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonía viviendo en el ámbito de las Cuatro Cuencas y Río Chambira], Peruvian National Centre of Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control of Diseases (CDC). With M. Ormaeche Macassi, A. Llamocca Rodríguez, and F. Barclay Rey de Castro.
Okamoto, T. and Doyle, C. (2019) The Wampis Nation’s FPIC Protocol – A statute based tool to defend an integral territory, in Doyle, C., Whitmore, A. and Tugendhat, H. (2019) (eds), Free Prior Informed Consent Protocols as Instruments of Autonomy: Laying Foundations for Rights based Engagement (Infoe, ENIP) Spanish version

Other publications

Okamoto, T. (2022, May 12^th) A provincializar Lima. Unas reflexiones geográficas sobre desde dónde miramos al Perú. Jugo de Caigua.

Teaching

University of Cambridge, Department of Geography
- Lecturer & Supervisor, Part II (final year). Geographies of Postcolonialism and Decoloniality (MT 2022)
- Seminar Leader, MPhil Anthropocene Studies (MT 2022)
- Supervisor, Part II (final year). Political Ecology of the Global South (2022)
- Supervisor, Part IB Paper. Development Theories, Policies and Practices (ET 2022)
- Supervisor, Part IA Paper. Society, Environment and Sustainable Development (ET 2022)
University of Oslo, Department of Sociology and Human Geography
- Lecturer, Master’s in Human Geography. HGO4501 Development (2022)
University of California, Santa Cruz, Department of Environmental Studies
- Guest Lecturer, Amazonian Cultures and Conservation: Rebuilding relations from the ground up (2017-2020)
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Department of Social Sciences
- Lecturer & course co-design, Amazonia and Society: Indigenous Politics and Territories (2016)
University of Oslo, Centre for Development and the Environment
- Seminar Leader, Development and the Environment: Theory and Policy Challenges (2012)
Oslo and Akershus University College
- Guest Lecturer, Climate Change Journalism (2012)

External

National Geographic Explorer
Postgraduate Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Member of Decolonial Research Lab. Department of Geography, University of Cambridge
Member of American Association of Geographers
Member of Latin American Geographies UK Research Network
Peer-review activity: Espiral Revista de Geografías y Ciencias Sociales (UNMSM)

Tami Okamoto