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Department ofAnthropology

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Ryan Anderson recently published a paper in Shore & Beach

Ryan Anderson recently published a paper in Shore & Beach, along with co-authors Kiki Patsch (CSU Channel Islands), Charles Lester (UC Santa Barbara), and Gary Griggs (UC Santa Cruz), titled "Adapting to shoreline retreat: Finding a path forward." The paper examines the problem of shoreline retreat in California from a multidisciplinary perspective. Tackling a contentious issue, the paper concludes that planning now and aiming for some form of managed retreat "is far superior to a coastline of more 'lost neighborhoods,' riddled with the chaos of unmanaged retreat." Anderson also presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Economic Anthropology (SEA) in March on related work with his paper "Too valuable to retreat: The politics of sea-level rise, managed retreat, and coastal property values in California." In addition, he was invited for a guest lecture at Cal State University Channel Islands, where he gave a talk titled, "From paradise to property: Anthropological perspectives on beaches, coastal property, and rising seas." Finally, he published a short photo-essay in the Journal for the Anthropology of North America's "Snapshots" series that explores the human dimensions and meanings of coastal retention structures in California.