Mary M. Cameron

Mary Cameron is a medical and environmental anthropologist and Full Professor of Anthropology at Florida Atlantic University with a keen interest in understanding human-nature relationships. She conducts original field research in South Asia, primarily in Nepal with some comparative research in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Her most recent book, Three Fruits: Nepali Ayurvedic Doctors on Health, Nature and Social Change, is an ethnography based on two decades of research on Ayurvedic medicine, and is the first comprehensive study of Ayurveda in Nepal. The book is of interest to anthropologists, environmentalists, geographers, scholars of South Asia, traditional and alternative medicine enthusiasts, religious scholars and philosophers, and general readers interested in cultural perspectives on human-nature relationships, wellness, and healing.

Cameron's first book, On the Edge of the Auspicious: Gender and Caste in Nepal, was the first comprehensive study of the relationship between gender and caste from the perspective of Dalits in Nepal, and continues to be used in classrooms around the world. Doctoral students and scholars have verified the book's main findings.

Mary Cameron also directed two gender studies programs at Auburn University and Florida Atlantic University.

Cameron's interests in human rights and social justice have led to her expert witness testimony provided on behalf of Nepali individuals and families.

She holds the BS Biology and MA and Ph.D. Anthropology degrees.

Mary Cameron spends summers teaching, writing, and enjoying outdoor adventures in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, north of her hometown, Hudson Falls.