Lesley Head (Geo-PhD #14) Traditional Cache

This cache is one in an ongoing series highlighting important figures in the history of the academic discipline of geography. If you complete this series, you might be ready to pass your qualifiying exams for a PhD in Geography!

Lesley Head is an Australian geographer best known for her contributions to understanding landscapes in which "natural" and human factors are inextricably linked. She began her career as an archaeologist, studying how the ecology of Australia has been shaped by over 50,000 years of Aboriginal inhabitation. Later she transitioned into studying modern-day cultural geography, such as the gardening practices of Australians from different cultural backgrounds, and wheat farmers' understanding of climate change. A key theme of her research has been challenging the idea that nature is only valuable or important when it is pristine or separate from human influence.