Valerio Di Fonzo

Valerio Di Fonzo is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology. He received a Master in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico in 2014. He also holds a dual Master and Bachelor degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs from the University of Bologna (Italy). He recently completed fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, focusing on eco-theology and examining the relationship between the Catholic Church, environmentalism, and the Awajún and Wampis Indigenous peoples.

His dissertation explores "ecotheology," a movement within the Catholic Church that seeks to guide human relationships with nature in an ethical manner. This philosophy, inspired by the ecological practices of Amazonian peoples, is being integrated into Church teachings. Valerio's research investigates how this new ecological ethic is applied in lowland Peru: how it is embraced by clergy trained in traditional pastoral paradigms, how it is taught to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, and how these communities accept, modify, or reject aspects of the philosophy.

During his two years of fieldwork, Valerio has interviewed individuals involved in Catholic agricultural projects and has worked with 11 Awajún and Wampis communities to explore how these ecological teachings resonate with Indigenous perspectives.