Thayer Scudder

Who is Thayer Scudder?

Thayer Scudder, an American social anthropologist, is an Anthropology Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology. Educated at Harvard University, he did a postdoctorate in African Studies, Anthropology and Ecology at the London School of Economics, followed by positions with the Rhodes-Livingston Institute for Social Research in Northern Rhodesia 1956-1957 and again in 1962-1963, and a post at the American University in Cairo in 1961-1962. He joined the Caltech faculty in that year. His work on socioeconomic issues and infrastructure development associated with river basin development, forced relocation, and refugee reintegration has made him a world leader in these fields. Large dams are one of the world’s most controversial, divisive and expensive development issues, and Scudder is the world's leading expert on dams and relocation effects. His 2005 book "The Future of Large Dams" covers aspects of large dams and development including economics, politics, environmental risk, energy, agriculture, and human displacement and resettlement. He has undertaken studies on sustainable resource use in Africa, India, Nepal, Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and the United States, and served on a number of independent review panels for dam projects in Africa and Asia. He is a former commissioner on the World Commission on Dams.