Adela Zhang is a PhD candidate in sociocultural anthropology at Stanford University. Zhang’s research explores how seemingly intractable conflicts over resource extraction illustrate long-standing tensions between the priorities of large-scale development and democracy promotion in Latin America. Using ethnography and qualitative digital methods, her work examines how historically unequal groups in Peru endeavor to transform disputes over mining and oil and gas extraction into particular visions for democracy and inclusion, even when separated by distinct lifeways and diverging interests. Zhang previously received her BA in economics and Latin American studies from the University of Chicago.