D. J. Narendra Bondla, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Environmental Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Institute of Paleo-Environment and Heritage Conservation, Mekelle University, Ethiopia since 2011. He is the Head, Research, Community Services and PG Programs at the Institute. Formerly, he was the Guest Faculty in the Department of Anthropology, Central University of Hyderabad, India during 2002 to 2005 and taught courses in Master’s Programme. Later, from 2005 to 2011 he worked as a Senior Programme Officer Indigenous Communities Development and Disaster Management Programmes at Centre for World Solidarity, an intermediary donor agency in South India. He has conducted several researches on development, displacement and rehabilitation, and disaster mitigation, and carried out several policy advocacy programmes, and initiated and is strengthening four civil society networks in South India. He is associated with several researches funded by national and international agencies.
He has co-authored a book titled ‘Resettlement and Rehabilitation in India: An Emic Tribal Perspective’ (2007); co-edited ‘Cultural Landscapes of Ethiopia: Conference Proceedings’ (2015), ‘Book of Abstracts: Researches of Mekelle University’ (2014) and ‘Disaster Preparedness: Policies and Practices - Proceedings of Sector Workshop’ (2007). Besides, he has published several articles in academic journals with national and international repute. He is one of the founding members of Confederation of Indian Anthropological Association (CIAA). He has organized conferences and workshops on varied themes, such as development induced displacement, disaster reduction mechanisms, concerned policies, social audit and people centred advocacy. Currently, he is teaching courses for Masters’ Programme, which includes Theories of Culture, Ethnographic Fieldwork Analysis, Environmental Anthropology, Natural Resource Management, Ethno-biological Knowledge Systems, Environmental Policy and Legal Frameworks, and Pastoralism and Social Anthropology and advising thesis for Masters’ students. His research areas are: cultural ecology and indigenous farming systems, draught and coping mechanisms, displacement and rehabilitation, environmental history and political ecology.