Dr. Chesney McOmber
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Keene State College
Bio
I am a political scientist, specializing in Comparative Politics and International Relations. I study human dimensions of climate change and, in particular, I am interested in the processes and mechanisms that promote or enable social transformation in order to build a climate resilient future. My research explores environmental politics amongst marginalized populations (e.g., women, ethnic minorities, indigenous). My fieldwork experience spans globally, from the United States to South Africa, Jordan, Morocco, Kenya, and Nepal. While some of my more recent research has included mixed methods approaches, my methodological expertise lies in gender analysis, participatory visual methodology, and ethnographic methodology to explore the concept of empowerment amidst environmental change.
I'm always looking for opportunities to speak with more people working on similar questions!
Dissertation and Current Works
The Feminization of Rural Space: Exploring Gender, Power, and Demographic Change in Africa
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My academic background reflects over a decade of international research experience and interdisciplinary collaboration on mitigating climate vulnerabilities amongst marginalized populations in the Global South. These various projects have focused largely on the nexus of gender, food security, and climate change in Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Nepal.
My research explores two central and interrelated questions: 1) In what ways do historically marginalized populations respond to and express power in moments of political, social, and economic disruption caused by environmental crises? and, 2) What social processes and mechanisms drive (and inhibit) the types of social transformation necessary to build equitable (climate) resilient systems?
In order to understand each of these questions, I have developed two primary streams of research. The first focuses on social equity, empowerment, and political transformation processes in the context of environmental stressors and climate change. The second explores knowledge creation, information sharing, and artistic participatory research methodologies as they relate to social transformation and resilience building.
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Empowerment, Resilience, and Social Transformation
How do societies transform under stress? What processes must be in place to bring about the transformation necessary to build climate resilient political, economic, and social systems? My dissertation research on women's empowerment in Kenya and Morocco began to explore this question. However, my current postdoctoral work at the University of Connecticut delves more deeply into the processes and mechanisms that enable (and inhibit) transformative governance within climate resilient policymaking. Publications on this latest research is forthcoming.
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Relevant Publications:
McOmber, C.; Audia, C.; and Crowley, F. 2019. “Building resilience by challenging social norms: integrating a transformative approach within the BRACED consortia” Disasters 43(S3): S271-S294 https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12341
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McOmber, C; McNamara, K; Ryley, T. D.; McKune, S. L. 2021. "Investigating the Conceptual Plurality of Empowerment through Community Concept Drawing: Case Studies from Senegal, Kenya, and Nepal" Sustainability 13(6): 3166. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063166
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Environmental Politics
Climate Change is the pressing social, economic, political, and ecological challenge of our time. We will all be forced to respond to environmental changes and severe climate events as they become more prevalent; those with the resources to prepare and respond for these environmental changes will be better equipped. Populations from historically marginalized groups (e.g., the poor, the disabled, youth, elderly, ethnic and racial minorities, LGBTQ, women) often lack equitable access to those resources. It is imperative that institutions are able to help support those most vulnerable to climate change effects. I have worked on issues of gender and climate adaptation and resilience within international development for the last decade and continues to be the central focus of my research agenda. More recently, my postdoctoral research explores environmental policy and the roles of state institutions around wastewater management in the United States.
Relevant Publications:
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McOmber, C.; Audia, C.; and Crowley, F. 2019. “Building resilience by challenging social norms: integrating a transformative approach within the BRACED consortia” Disasters 43(S3): S271-S294 https://doi.org/10.1111/disa.12341
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McKune, S; Poulsen, L.; Russo, S.; Devereux, T.; Faas, S.; McOmber, S.; and Ryley, T. D.. 2018. "Reaching the end goal: Do interventions to improve climate information services lead to greater food security?" Climate Risk Management 22: 22-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2018.08.002
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McOmber, C.; Zhuang, Y; Raudales, R; Vadas, T.; and Kirchhoff, C.. 2021.“What is recycled water, anyway? Investigating greenhouse grower definitions, perceptions, and willingness to use recycled water”. Rural Agriculture and Food Security. 1-10 https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170521000090
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McOmber, Chesney; Zhuang, Yan; Raudales, Rosa; Kirchhoff, Christine. 2023. “Understanding greenhouse growers’ willingness to use municipal recycled water on food crops: the need for tailored outreach coupled with deep engagement to increase adoption”. HortTechnology 23(2): 161-167 https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05132-22
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Friedman, Mirit; Hughes, Sara; Kirchhoff, Christine; Rauh, Eleanor; McOmber, Chesney; Manshardt, Davis J.; Prout, Jaylin M. 2024. “Broadening Resilience: An evaluation of policy and planning for drinking water resilience in 100 US cities” Global Environmental Change 84:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102798 .
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Co-Production of Knowledge and Artistic Methods for Social Science Inquiry
There is an emerging movement within development studies- and, to some extent, the applied social sciences- to incorporate multi-directional and participatory learning methods within our research. Research participants are not merely data points to be collected, but instead integral actors and contributors in the process of knowledge creation. In response to this ontological shift in the social sciences, I have developed Community Concept Drawing (CCD), a participatory visual methodology using illustrated narratives to understand local interpretations of critical social science concepts. I am interested in developing methods that facilitate this type of learning- where research becomes a multi-directional conversation with feedback loops and spaces for collective sharing that recognizes and values many knowledges.
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Relevant Publications:​​
McOmber, C; McNamara, K.; and McKune, S. L. 2022. “Community Concept Drawing: A participatory visual method for incorporating local knowledge into conceptualization” Field Methods 34(2) https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X211014736​
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McOmber, C and McNamara, K. 2022. “Decolonising Empowerment in Africa: Illustration as a tool” (in) Non-western Global Theories of International Relations. (ed) Samantha Cooke. Palgrave. 159-190 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84938-2_7
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