Background

Maria Carinnes Alejandria is an anthropologist specializing in disaster governance and health inequalities in Southeast Asia. Dr. Alejandria is an Assistant Professor and Programme Coordinator of the Sociology and Anthropology Programme at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. She completed her PhD in Anthropology at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where her research focused on the intersection of food insecurity and flood vulnerability among older adults in an informal settlement in Manila. Dr. Alejandria has held fellowship posts at the Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies and the Loughborough University Institute of Advanced Studies.

Her publications include the edited volumes Disaster Archipelago: Locating Vulnerability and Resilience in the Philippines and Aging in the Global South: Challenges and Opportunities, as well as special issues on disaster governance in Southeast Asia, civilian-military humanitarian research methods, and disaster research methods. She has also authored book chapters and journal articles addressing complex disasters, humanitarian coordination, food security, pediatric tuberculosis, mental health, and older adult health in the Philippines.

Dr. Alejandria has led research projects related to social health, disaster resilience, and food security, funded by the World Health Organization, Brown University, UNDP, UNAIDS, the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, and the National Research Council of the Philippines. She has additionally served as a consultant for various international and national development and research organizations, contributing to project design, program evaluation, and strategic recommendations to improve health and disaster resilience outcomes. Most recently, she serves as the principal investigator of a multi-country project examining flood preparedness among urban communities in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Teaching

• AZ-1202 Understanding Culture
• AZ-2307 / APZ-2306 Doing Fieldwork
• AZ-3304 Sociology of Development
• APZ-3303 Development, Policy, and Society
• AZ-4305 / APZ-3315 Health, Society, and Culture
• APZ-3321 Applied Sociology and Anthropology
• APZ-3320 Human Security, Humanitarianism, and Social Futures

Areas of Interests

• Food Security, Health Inequalities, Infectious Diseases, Mental Health
• Humanitarian Coordination, Disaster Vulnerability, Community-based Organizations
• Cultural Epidemiology Approach, Everyday Political Economy Approach, Intergenerational Approach
• Global South, Urban Spaces, Online Communities

Funded Projects

Bridging Knowledge and Action: Climate Literacy for Urban Resilience in Brunei Darussalam

• Funding Agency: Universiti Brunei Darussalam
• Duration: February 3, 2025 – February 2, 2027
• Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Towards A Sustainable Climate Health Initiative: Knowledge, Attitudes, And Skills of Working Age Bruneians Relating to Extreme Heat

• Funding Agency: Universiti Brunei Darussalam
• Duration: February 3, 2025 – February 2, 2027
• Role: Co-Investigator

Disaster Preparedness Among Urban Communities in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (BIMP)

• Funding Agency: Universiti Brunei Darussalam
• Duration: April 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026
• Role: Principal Investigator

Empowering Urban Communities: A Resilience Toolkit for Inclusive Disaster Preparedness and Collaborative Hazards Management in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (BIMP)

• Funding Agency: SEA Junction
• Duration: September 22, 2024 – September 31, 2025
• Role: Principal Investigator

Governing Complex Disaster in Southeast Asia (Workshop Seed Grant)

• Funding Agency: Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
• Duration: December 8, 2022 – December 7, 2023
• Role: Seminar-Workshop Convenor

Civilian-Military Interaction in Conflicts: Best Practices and Perceptions

• Funding Agency: U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration/Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
• Duration: August 2019 – August 2022
• Role: Country Consultant (Philippines)

Mapping Of Socio-Cultural Factors And Determinants Associated With Depression, Anxiety, Self-Harm And Suicidality Among University Students in the Philippines

• Funding Agency: DOST-PCHRD
• Duration: June 20, 2021 – June 19, 2022
• Role: Principal Investigator

Public Action And The Pandemic: The Role Of Civil Society In Shaping State Responses

• Funding Agency: American Jewish World Services/Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
• Duration: January 2021 – March 2022
• Role: Lead Researcher (Philippines)

Publications

Environmental Science and Policy

• Special Issue: Enhancing Climate-Resilient Development in Emerging Asian Regions: Achievements, Progress and Potential
• Co-editor (March 2026)

Asia Pacific Viewpoint

• Special Issue: More-than-Complex: Governance and Place in Philippine Disaster Management
• Co-editor (November 2025)

Disaster Prevention and Management

• Special Issue: Creative, Reflexive, and Critical Research Methodologies in Disaster Studies
• Co-editor (March 2025)

Southeast Asia Multidisciplinary Journal

• Special Issue: Governing Complex Disasters in Southeast Asia
• Co-editor (November 2024)

Publications

Books

Alejandria, M. C. & Smith, W. (2020). Disaster archipelago: Locating vulnerability and resilience in the Philippines. Lexington Books.

Alejandria-Gonzalez, M. C., Ghosh, S., & Sacco, N. (2019). Aging and development in the global South: Challenges and vulnerability. Lexington Books.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2019). Disciplines and ideas in social sciences (2nd edition). University Press of First Asia.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2018). Understanding culture, society, and politics (2nd Edition). University Press of First Asia.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2017). Disciplines and ideas in social sciences. University Press of First Asia.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2015). Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. University Press of First Asia.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2013). Chronicles of a Changing World: Asian History. Diwa Asia Publishing.

Book Chapters

Alburo-Canete, K. Z., Alejandria, M. C., & Kreyscher, K. (2026). Methods matter: Exploring the critical-ethical turn in disaster studies. In S. Uekusa, K. Nguyen-Trung, & S. P. Boret (Eds.), Critical disaster studies in Asia and the Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan.

Chapman, E., & Alejandria, M. C. (2026). Civilian protection in humanitarian assistance and disaster response: Evolving roles in civil–military engagement in the Asia-Pacific. In D. S. Reveron, D. P. Polatty, & S. Marion (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of human security. Oxford University Press.

Alejandria, M. C. (2026). Navigating the blame: An urban ethnography of a riverine village in Manila, Philippines. In I. Iqbal, H. Hassan, & A. Kumpoh (Eds.), Fluid phenomena: The river and anthropocene life-world in the Asia-Pacific. Brill.

Alejandria, M. C. (2025). Foodscapes of the “undocumented”: Scavenging in an urban informal settlement in Manila. In A. Paredes & M. Montefrio (Eds.), Halo-halo ecologies: The emergent environments behind Filipino food. University of Hawaii Press.

Alejandria, M. C. (2020). Surviving the old tides: Disaster resilience among food insecure older adults in an urban poor settlement in Manila. In M. C. Alejandria & W. Smith (Eds.), Disaster archipelago: Locating vulnerability and resilience in the Philippines. Lexington Books.

Ancheta, A., Batan, C., Balita, D. A. & Alejandria, M. C. (2020). “Baha at mga bata”: Exploring the Filipino children’s perceptions and experiences of flood as stories of vulnerabilities. In M. C. Alejandria, & W. Smith (Eds.), Disaster archipelago: Locating vulnerability and resilience in the Philippines. Lexington Books.

Alejandria-Gonzalez, M. C. (2019). Food insecurity and resilience in Manila slum: Hunger and poverty among the elderly. In M. C. Alejandria-Gonzalez, S. Ghosh, & N. Sacco (Eds.), Aging and development in the global South: Challenges and vulnerability. Lexington Books.

Alejandria, M. C. (2008). Veiled political realities: The case of Muslim women in Palawan. In B. Tuazon (Ed.), The Moro reader. CenPEG Publications.

Special Issues

Alejandria, M. C., Grace, R., Cajilig, P. G., & Smith, W. (Eds.). (2024). Governing complex disasters in Southeast Asia[Special issue]. Southeast Asia Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(3).

Alburo-Canete, K. Z., Alejandria, M. C., & Kreyscher, K. (Eds.). (2025). Creative, reflexive, and critical research methodologies in disaster studies [Special issue]. Disaster Prevention and Management, 34(1).

Smith, W., Cajilig, P. G., Alejandria, M. C., & Grace, R. (Eds.). (2026). More-than-complex: Governance and place in Philippine disaster management [Special issue]. Asia Pacific Viewpoint.

Le, V. P., Yang, L., Nielsen, C., Alejandria, M. C., Oktari, R., Valenzuela, V. P., & Tri, V. P. D. (Eds.). (2026). Enhancing climate-resilient development in emerging Asian regions: Achievements, progress and potential[Special issue]. Environmental Science and Policy.

Journal Articles

Alburo-Cañete, K. Z., Alejandria, M. C., & Kreyscher, K. (2025). Guest editorial: Advancing reflexive, creative, and critical research methodologies for disaster studies. Disaster Prevention and Management, 34(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-02-2025-430

Alejandria, M. C., Grace, R., Gloria Cajilig, P., & Smith, W. (2024). Guest editorial: Complex disasters, complex solutions: Advancing inclusive governance and decolonization in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(3), 167-170. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEAMJ-11-2024-089

Alejandria, M. C., Hernandez, P. J., Quan-Nalus, M. A., Alipao, F., Tumaneng, D., Ruiz, C. J., Dela Cruz, K. A., & Casimiro, K. M. (2024). Humanitarian leadership in urban communities: An exploratory study on the role of community leaders in humanitarian coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(3), 208–220. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEAMJ-01-2024-0008

Boland, S. T., Nylen, A., Bates, M., Alejandria, M. C., Grace, R., Tayyeb, Z., & Levine, A. C. (2024). Armed actor interventions in humanitarian and public health crises: Examining perspectives of crisis-affected community members. Conflict and Health, 18(33). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-024-00593-6

Hernandez, P. J. S., Alejandria, M. C. P., Guiang, R. S., Bergado-Timbangcaya, A. P., Taypa, J. S., Bengwasan, P. D., Sazon-de Chavez, M. F., Alipao, F. A., Quan-Nalus, M. A., Sandoval, E. C., Naboa, G. A., Fernandez, N. S., Tumaneng, D., Casimiro, K. M., Gibe, J. A., Alejandria, M. A. C., Luzano, J. G., & Generalao, J. (2024). Guidance counsellors on COVID-19 experiences: Distance education successes and challenges. Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 1-16. https://www.doi.org/10.30688/janzssa.2024-1-02

Grace, R., Alejandria, M. C., Bates, M. Boland, S., Nylen, A., Tayyeb, Z., & Levine, A. C. (2023). Moving humanitarian-military relations forward: A new typology. International Journal of Humanitarian Action 8(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-023-00134-5

Levine, A., Park, A., Adhikari, A., Alejandria, M.C., Bradlow, B., Lopez-Portillo, M., Mutwafy, S., Zumbyte, I., & Heller, P. (2023). The role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in the COVID-19 response across the Global South: A multinational, qualitative study. PLOS Global Public Health 3(9), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002341

Alejandria, M. C. P., Casimiro, K. M. D., Gibe, J. A. L., Fernandez, N. S. F., Tumaneng, D. C., Sandoval, E. C. A., Hernandez, P. J. S., Quan-Nalus, M. A., Alipao, F. A., & Alejandria, M. A. C. P. (2022). Attaining well-being beyond the home: A socio-cultural framing of mental health among university students in the Philippines. Health Education Journal, 82(2), 143-155. https://doi.org/10.1177/00178969221141547

De Vergara, T., Alejandria, M. C., & Lustanas, B. (2020). Iloilo’s balut industry (Philippines): An exploration of the environment, social organizations, and consumer demands. Asian Journal of Agriculture Volume 4(2).

Alejandria, M. C., De Vergara, T., & Colmenar, K. P. (2019). The authentic balut: History, culture, and economy of a Philippine food icon. Journal of Ethnic Foods.

Alejandria, M. C. & Martinez, E. L. (2019). Sociocultural determinants of health-seeking behavior among children living with tuberculosis and their caregivers in informal settlements. Journal of Social Health, 2(2).

Alejandria-Gonzalez, M. C. & Sanchez, J. J. (2018). Thinking of Kapatiran: Older adults’ aspirations for well-being in an informal settlement in Manila. Journal of Social Health, 1(1), 123-141.

Andres, B., Begonia, T. A., & Alejandria-Gonzalez, M. C. (2018). Buang and Ulyanin: An ethnographic study on the selected cases of schizophrenia and dementia in Baseco Compound, Manila. Journal of Social Health, 1(1), 1-19.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2016). Cultural development in the Philippines: An analysis of challenges and orientations. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism, 17(4), 496-515.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2013). Positibo: Achieving well-being among young people living with HIV in Cebu. Aghamtao, 22-45.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2010). Journal of Cultural Tourism. University of Santo Tomas International Conference on Cultural Tourism. Manila: University of Santo Tomas College of Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Alejandria, M. C. (2009). Pala’wan customary laws: Conflict resolution in the context of legal pluralism. Palawan State University Journal.

Alejandria, M. C. (2007). Iwahig penal colony according to the inmates perspective. Historical Bulletin, 24-39.

Technical Reports/Policy Papers

Adhikari, A., Alejandria, M. C., Bradlow, B., Heller, P., Levine, A., Lopez-Portillo, M., Mutwafy, S., Stulen, S., & Zumbyte, I. (2022). Public action and the pandemic: The role of civil society in shaping state responses. Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. (Link)

Alejandria, M. C., Boland, S., Brightman, H., Grace, R., Levine, A., Nylen, A., Polatty, D., & Tayyeb, Z. (2022). Humanitarian-military relations in complex emergencies: Evidence, insights, and recommendations. Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. (Link)

Alejandria, M. C., Hernandez, P. J., Alipao, F., Quan-Nalus, M. A., Tumaneng, D., Ruiz, C., Dela Cruz, K. A., Esmolo, M. C., Esmolo, M., Madeja, N., & Aguilos, A. (2021). Humanitarian leadership in urban communities: An exploratory study on the role of community leaders in humanitarian coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.21108.42882

Jazul, J., Alejandria, M. C., Sarne, S., & Cabalbag, L. (2021). Initial assessment of the Information Education Campaign (IEC) materials for pediatric tuberculosis in selected informal community settlers. Compendium of analytical views for the ASCC blueprint 2025 published by Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Link)

De Jesus, A., Calimag, M., Gonzalez, M. C., & Rey, F. (2012). National and local policies related to HIV-AIDS and drug Use: Content review and assessment. Retrieved from United Nations Development Program Philippines.

De Jesus, A., Calimag, M., Gonzalez, M. C., & Rey, F. (2012). Unsafe injecting drug use, a growing source of HIV transmission in the Philippines: Implications to policy. Retrieved from United Nations Development Program Philippines.

Dissertation and Theses

Alejandria, M. C. (2019). The everyday political economy of Gutom: Food insecurity among older adults in an informal settlement in Manila [Doctoral dissertation]. University of the Philippines Diliman.

Alejandria, M. C. (2007). Political action repertoire of Muslims in Palawan [Master's thesis]. Palawan State University.

Selected Conferences and Presentations

Alejandria, M. C. (March 21, 2025). Localizing resilience in urban communities in Southeast Asia: Community-based knowledge and responses to flooding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Residential Fellow Seminar. Institute of Advanced Studies, Loughborough University, UK.

Alejandria, M. C. (September 2024). She L.E.A.D.S.: Towards a gender-inclusive approach to sustainable disaster preparedness and humanitarian response in BIMP-EAGA. 2024 ICUNSSI. Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology and HHI Resilient Communities. Iligan City, Philippines.

Alejandria, M. C. (July 2024). Flood preparedness in urban communities in the BIMP-EAGA. International Workshop on Climate-Resilient Development in Southeast Asia. Harvard University, USA.

Alejandria, M. C., et al. (June 2024). Smartphone ethnographic approach in understanding the social construction of humanitarianism in the armed forces of the Philippines. Research Symposium on Civilian Military Coordination. Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. Brown University, USA.

Alejandria, M. C. (December 2023). Super typhoon Rai (Odette) in Palawan Philippines: Lessons learned in humanitarian coordination. 9th Regional Consultative Group Conference organized by UNOCHA, Australian Civil Military Centre, and US Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance. Timor Plaza Hotel, Timor Leste.

Alejandria, M. C. (October 2023). Exploring community-based humanitarian action during the COVID-19 pandemic in urban areas of the Philippines. Northern European Conference on Emergency and Disaster Studies. University of Twente, The Netherlands.

Alejandria, M. C. (February & March 2023). Foodscapes of the “undocumented”: Scavenging in an urban informal settlement in Manila. Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference. Online and at Sheraton Boston, USA.

Alejandria, M. C. et al. (April 2022). Public action and the pandemic: The role of civil society in shaping state responses. Online: Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies.

Alejandria, M. C. et al. (March 2022). Humanitarian-military relations in complex emergencies: Evidence, insights, and recommendations. Research Symposium on Civilian Military Coordination. Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. Brown University, USA.

Alejandria, M. C. (2021). Humanitarian response in urban settings: Exploring the role of community leaders to crises. Research Symposium on Civilian-Military Humanitarian Coordination. Online: Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies.

Alejandria, M. C. (2020). Filipinos are resilient? Situating community-based responses to hazards. 2nd Urban Resilience Asia Pacific Conference. Online: Faculty of Built Environment at UNSW (Sydney) in association with the Australia Pacific Security College at ANU, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, ARUP and SEEDS India.

Alejandria, M. C. (2019). Achieving well-being in Manila's peripheries: Socio-cultural determinants of health-seeking behavior of children living with tuberculosis. AAS-in-Asia Conference. Bangkok: Association of Asian Studies.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2018). Pocket of urban exclusion: Constructing vulnerability and well-being among child scavengers in a reclamation area in Manila. 77th Association for Asian Studies Conference. Washington, DC: Association of Asian Studies.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2017). Surviving the old tides: Disaster resilience among food insecure older adults in an urban poor settlement in Manila. 76th Association of Asian Studies Conference. Toronto: Association of Asian Studies.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2017). Thinking of Kapatiran: Older adults’ aspirations for well-being in an informal settlement in Manila. International Conference of Philippine Studies (ICOPHIL). Dumaguete: Philippine Studies Association.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2016). Food insecurity and resilience in Manila slums: Hunger and poverty among the elderly. 75th Conference Association for Asian Studies. Seattle: Association for Asian Studies.

Ancheta, A., & Gonzalez, M. C. (2013). Perceptions on the dangers of flooding among selected children: The case of Baseco Compound. 4th Asia Pacific Conference in Public Health. Nha Trang: Vietnam Public Health Association and Asia Pacific Public Health Association.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2013). The Karton girls: Perceived impacts of climate change among selected young women of Cebu City. Asia Pacific Conference in Public Health. Nha Trang: Vietnam Public Health Association and Asia Pacific Public Health Association.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2012). Positibo: Achieving well-being among young people living with HIV in Cebu. 11th Asia Pacific Sociological Association Conference. Quezon: Asia Pacific Sociological Association.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2012). Towards an engaged learning: Teaching Anthropology to hospitality majors. International Conference of Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning. Manila: Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning.

Gonzalez, M. C. (2011). Think positive: HIV risk reduction or disaster mitigation? 20th Conference of the International Federation of Social Science Organizations. Batangas: International Federation of Social Science Organizations.

Alejandria, M. C. (2008). Pala’wan customary laws: Conflict resolution in the context of legal pluralism. 8th International Conference on Philippine Studies. Quezon: International Conference on Philippine Studies.

Alejandria, M. C. (2008). The land of Maman Kaki: A discourse on Pala’wan land management. Seminar Workshop on Applying Social Theory for New Understandings of Swidden Agriculture. Los Banos: Wenner Gren Foundation, Wolrd Agroforestry Centre, and University of Queensland.

Alejandria, M. C. (2007). Of Aglipayans and El Shaddais: The paradigm shifters of popular catholicism in the Philippines. 2nd Graduate Workshop on Piety and Pietization in Asia. Singapore: Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.

Fellowship/Membership in Organizations

• Global Fellow – Brown University Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
• SEED Fellow – University of Melbourne Space for Engagement and Epistemic Diversity (SEED)
• International Advisory Board Member – Philippines Studies Group
• Fellow – Philippine Social Weather Stations
• Trainor – MAXQDA Trainers Network
• Member – Association for Asian Studies (AAS)
• Member – American Anthropological Association (AAA)
• Member – Ugnayang Pang-Aghamtao, Inc (UGAT)

Awards, Honors, Scholarships, License

• AAS-SEAC Rising Voices of Southeast Asia (2018)
• Association for Asian Studies LDC Grant (2017)
• Philippine Studies Group Graduate Student Paper Travel Award (March 2016)
• Philippine Commission for Higher Education International Travel Award (March 2016)
• Brown International Advanced Research Institute Scholarship (June 2014)

Certificates

• Certificate on Storytelling for Infodemic Management
  World Health Organization and Story Collider; August 23-25, 2022


• Certificate on Leadership and Management in Health
  University of Washington Department of Global Health Elearning Program; September 20-December 5, 2021


• Certificate on Climate Change and Health
  Harvard University (edX, Inc. MOOC platform); September 2-November 30, 2020


• Certificate on Good Clinal Practice
  University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery; September 12, 2020


• Certificate on Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster
  Harvard University, USA (edX, Inc. MOOC platform); July 9-November 2, 2019