Troy, N.Y. - The American Ethnological Society (AES) has awarded Kim Fortun, associate professor of science and technology studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the organization's Sharon Stephens Prize for her work titled Advocacy After Bhopal: Environmentalism, Disaster, New Global Orders (University of Chicago Press, 2001). The Sharon Stephens Prize recognizes a junior scholar's first book "that speaks to contemporary social issues with relevance beyond the discipline and beyond the academy."

"We are thrilled that the AES has recognized Dr. Fortun with such a notable award," said John Harrington, dean of Rensselaer's School of Humanities and Social Sciences. "Not only does the Sharon Stephens Prize bring great prestige to Dr. Fortun and Rensselaer's science and technology studies (STS) programs, but it also highlights the growing recognition that STS-related research is receiving in anthropological circles."

Advocacy After Bhopal investigates the infamous 1984 explosion of the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India, and the resulting litigation. In the book, Fortun examines the effects of the disaster on subsequent legislation, environmental advocacy, and how people think about social responsibility in both India and the United States. She also explores the experiences and diverse perspectives of victims, health care providers, lawyers, corporate executives, and environmental justice activists.

"I am very honored to be awarded this prize for Advocacy After Bhopal," Fortun said. "Anthropologists continue to produce exemplary analyses of cultural diversity, social stratification, and globalization, so recognition from them for my book is a special honor. I am also pleased that anthropologists are recognizing the importance of studying the cultural dimensions of science and technology."

In addition to serving as an associate professor, Fortun holds the position of associate dean of research and graduate programs for the university's School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Since she started at Rensselaer in 1993, she has also had stints as a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., and as a Rockefeller Postdoc at Cornell University. She earned a doctorate in anthropology from Rice University, and a bachelor of arts degree from Duke University.

The AES identifies itself as the oldest professional anthropological organization in the United States and an offshoot of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). Founded in 1842 to encourage research in the emerging field of ethnology, its goal has been to foster "inquiries generally connected with the human race." Today, the organization is a group of nearly 4,000 anthropologists who organize an annual meeting, publish the journal American Ethnologist, and carry on a variety of activities to promote scholarship on "ethnology in the broader sense of the term."

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