I received a Fulbright teaching grant in 1981 that allowed me to spend a year in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley. In the classes I taught, primary focus was environmental problems as related to people within local communities.
I also took along a manuscript I’d been working on, based on research I’d done on the relocation of people from the Saguling dam site in West Java and its long-term effects on the natural environment.

Of course, the authorities gave families financial compensation when they were forced to move away. But money can’t solve human problems in situations like this. I think that governments have to help people to create new livelihoods — through training capital or whatever else is necessary. For example, my research suggested that it might have been appropriate to fund a new fisheries program there.

I hope that by providing my Berkeley students with this kind of information I could help them to see the complexity of certain broad social problems. I must say that I was quite gratified by the results of student surveys taken among members of my classes. The results came back to me saying things like ‘Congratulations! You were highly appreciated by your students. They found your material fresh and your approach both clear and open. You actively seek student input. They feel you broadened their perspectives!

Using the libraries in American universities is wonderful. They are rich in original materials and I was able to read widely in my field. I was able to read about agriculture, village matters and prevention of erosion.

If I were offered another Fulbright for similar teaching and research in the United Stales, would I take it? Yes, I think so. I’d like to use such an experience to write a textbook on problems relating to development and ecology.