In 2016, she graduated with an MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology from Leiden University, where she honed her expertise in urbanization, rural development, migration, and sustainable development. Her ethnographic research spans diverse locations, including the Wadden Islands, the Philippines, Ghana, and Morocco. For example, she conducted studies on the perspectives of residents on Schiermonnikoog towards project developments, the connection between surfers and their natural environment in Rabat, and access to clean drinking water in the Northern-Luzon.
Yara is recognized as an expert in qualitative research methods, with a strong focus on ethnographic research and fieldwork. She has a passion for research and teaching, reflected in her background at Leiden University in Morocco, where she was involved in the social sciences as coordinator and lecturer of qualitative research methods.
In 2024, Yara joined the HZ research group Building with Nature as a researcher-lecturer. Here, she brings her anthropological perspective to various research projects, including SOURCE and Delta Wealth. Her primary focus lies in examining the societal impacts of technological and ecological measures in coastal zones. For example, she explores how traditional ecological knowledge and the unique perspectives of coastal communities can inform the development of sand nourishment strategies. Here, Yara’s work involves in-depth qualitative research within a coastal community in Zeeland, aiming to co-produce knowledge that is crucial for effective sand nourishment.
Projects
Water
Geen zee te hoog
This project approaches the development of flood protection strategies as a spatial issue,…