Acheson, James (1938 - )

Genre: Non-Fiction - Scholarly

James Acheson, born in Dover, New Hampshire, is a professor in the Department of Anthropology and School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono.

He attended Tufts University for two years and completed his undergraduate studies in biology and sociology at Colby College in 1962. In 1970 he earned a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology at the University of Rochester.

He has taught at the University of Maine since 1968. His research interests include economic and maritime anthropology, and Meso-America economic development. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants from the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Science Foundation University of Maine Sea Grant, and NOAA/Sea.

Acheson is best known for his economic and sociological studies of Maine fishing communities.

Selected Bibliography

  • The Lobster Gangs of Maine (1988), the first thorough study of the contrast and conflicts between the industry's customs and state regulation, is included in The Mirror of Maine.
  • The Fishing Ports of Maine and New Hampshire (with Ann Acheson, John Bort, and Jayne Lello; 1980)
  • Question of the Commons: The Culture and Ecology of Communal Resource (with Bonnie McCay; 1987)
  • Anthropology and Institutional Economics (1994)
  • Capturing the Commons: Devising Institutions to Manage the Maine Lobster Industry (2003).

Selected Resources