Dr. Anita Spring is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, African Studies, Latin American Studies, and Women’s Studies at the University of Florida. Dr. Spring first came to UF in 1973 and her research expertise spans a wide variety of subjects including Cultural, Applied, and Medical Anthropology, International Agricultural Development, Food Security, Entrepreneurship and Micro-enterprises, Women/Gender in International Development, Environment and Resource Management, the African Business Environment, China in Africa, Food Security and Sovereignty in Africa, and International and Gendered Land Politics. She has authored 10 books, over 60 peer reviewed articles, monographs, U.N. publications, and more.
Originally trained in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Spring subsequently pursued a M.A. in Anthropology from San Francisco State University working on Native American archeology, families on welfare, and the Washo people. But she also took two courses on Africa and was particularly motivated to switch fields after reading Dr. Victor Turner’s Schism and Continuity in an Africa Society. She was awarded a full fellowship to begin her MA and PhD programs in Anthropology at Cornell University under Dr. Turner’s direction. Dr. Spring’s first trip to Africa was 2-years in Zambia to study the Luvale people.
Since 1970, Dr. Spring has traveled to 20 African countries to conduct research, present papers conferences, and carry out consultancies. In addition to her work as Professor at UF, she served as Associate Chair of the Anthropology Department (1979-1981, 1983-1984, 1993-1994) and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (1985-1988). She has also held prominent appointments with USAID as Chief of Party in Malawi and other consultancies in Sub-Saharan Africa and with FAO as Chief of Women in Agriculture and Rural Production during her career. Dr. Spring retired in 2009 but is active in the academic and UF communities, including as Director of the Sub-Saharan Business Environment Report (2010-2014) and through publishing at least 2 books and several articles as an Emeritus Professor. She served as President of Culture and Agriculture and the Association of Africanist Anthropology of the American Anthropological Association giving the 2016 Distinguished Lecture on November 17 entitled “Successes and Barriers to Women’s Entrepreneurship: From Micro to Large Scale Enterprises”.
She and colleagues at the Center for African Studies (Agnes Leslie, Michael Leslie, Lina Benabdallah) are funded for the Working Group on China in Africa and held an international conference in 2015 and plan another in April 2017).