C. M. Terni

Regional focus: Southern Africa.

Topical interests: Economic anthropology, border studies, visual anthropology.

My research focuses on the Venetia Diamond Mine and the South Africa / Zimbabwe border communities of the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, in South Africa. In particular I am interested in the social values assigned to labor and laborers in the post-apartheid era. I am considering the "re-working" of mine employment as a nation-building tool and the economic and social position of illegal immigrants in a border mining town. The tensions between formally employed mineworkers and informally employed migrants provide a view into how the "new South Africa" is being constructed
in the minds of citizens and foreigners alike.

I am also extensively involved in collaborative projects between the University of Virginia and partner institutions throughout southern Africa, including the University of Venda and the University of the Witwatersrand's rural research facility. Working with anthropologists and environmental scientists at UVa, and a full complement of scholars and students at partner institutions, I am part of a network of researchers, teachers, and practitioners of community development. Current projects examine many facets of sustainable community development and facilitate the exchange of faculty and students between the University of Virginia and southern African institutions.