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Yael Levitte
Yael Levitte from the Department of Geography, University of Toronto, was the 2003 winner of the Robins Armstrong Memorial Prize for Excellence in Native Studies. The Prize is awarded by the Canadian Native Study Group of the Canadian Association of Geographers, Statistics Canada, and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
The title of Yael’s thesis was “Social Capital and Aboriginal Economic Development: Opportunities and Challenges.” Her thesis supervisors were Professor Meric Gertler and Professor Amrita Daniere. Yael’s thesis explored the history and future of economic development in three Northern Ontario Aboriginal communities. The thesis critically examines the usefulness of a social capital framework for understanding Aboriginal economic development, and it offers some insights into the major determinants of present-day social and economic hardships in Aboriginal communities. By way of conclusion, the thesis suggests ways in which lessons learned in the Aboriginal framework may be transposed elsewhere.
Yael completed her B.A. in Psychology and English Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her M.A. in Urban Planning was undertaken at the University of Toronto. In July 2003, she began work as a visiting assistant professor at Cornell University, in the City and Regional Planning Department. We wish Yael every success in her future academic endeavours.
Information about the Robin Armstrong Memorial Prize can be access at: http://www.statcan.ca/English/liaison/arm.htm | 