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TonyMarks-Block, Ph.D. Faculty Profile

Tony Marks-Block, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Anthropology, Geography & Environmental Studies

tony.marksblock@csueastbay.edu
(510) 885-3164
tonymarksblock.net
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What makes me unique

Tony Marks-Block is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies (AGES) at CSU East Bay. He is an ecological anthropologist who conducts research at the nexus of anthropogenic (prescribed) fire, small-scale subsistence practices, Indigenous sovereignty movements and the political ecology of land management in California. Through funding from the National Science Foundation, the Joint Fire Science Program and Stanford University, he collaborated with and learned from Karuk and Yurok peoples in northwestern California to complete his PhD on cultural burning. Dr. Marks-Block enjoys teaching critical pyrogeography, human ecology, and political ecology, as well as applied and community-engaged anthropological methods.

Ph.D. Stanford University

Spring Semester 2026

Course #	Sec	Course Title	Days	From	To	Location	Campus
ANTH 370	01	Anthropology in Action	ARR			WEB-ASYNCH	Online Campus
ANTH 130	01	Intro to Cultural Anthropology	TH	11:00AM	12:15PM	MI-2106	Hayward Campus
ANTH 490	02	Independent Study	ARR			ARR	Hayward Campus

Kased, R.A. and Marks-Block, T. 2026. Review of Witness to the Hellfire of Genocide: A Testimony from Gaza, by Wasim Said. Antipode, a Radical Journal of Geography

Robbins, M. and Marks-Block, T. 2026. “The Past, Present, and Future of Cultural Burning in Yurok Ancestral Territory, California.” In Landkeeping: Restoring Indigenous Fire Stewardship and Ecological Partnerships, edited by J. D. Aldern and T. L. Gregor, 32–47. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press.

Martinez, D.J., Seraphin, B., Marks-Block, T., Nelson, P. and Vinyeta, K., 2023. Indigenous Fire Futures: Anticolonial Approaches to Shifting Fire Relations in California. Environment and Society, 14(1), pp.142-161.

Marks-Block, T., Tripp, W. 2021. Facilitating Prescribed Fire in Northern California through Indigenous Governance and Interagency Partnerships. Fire, 4(3):37

Marks-Block, T., Lake, F.K., Bird, R.B. and Curran, L.M., 2021. Revitalized Karuk and Yurok cultural burning to enhance California hazelnut for basketweaving in northwestern California, USA. Fire Ecology, 17(1), pp.1-20.

Marks-Block, T. (2020, October 23). Indigenous solutions to California’s capitalist conflagrations. Monthly Review Online

Marks-Block T, Lake FK, Curran LM. 2019. Effects of understory fire management treatments on California Hazelnut, an ecocultural resource of the Karuk and Yurok Indians in the Pacific Northwest. For. Ecol. Manage. 450:117517

Armstrong CG, Shoemaker AC, McKechnie I, Ekblom A, Szabó P, et al. 2017. Anthropological contributions to historical ecology: 50 questions, infinite prospects. PLoS One . 12(2):e0171883
2023 – 2027                  San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund (US Environmental Protection Agency). “Climate Resilience Initiative.” Co-PI with Dr. Kate Shade (CSU East Bay). $915,786 awarded.

2023 – 2025                  Community Engagement Supplemental Award to the Climate Action Seed Grant (University of California Office of the President and Strategic Growth Council). Lead PI. $20,000 awarded.

2023 - 2025                  California Climate Action Seed Grants (University of California Office of the President). “Forging Essential Partnerships in Fire Stewardship to Meet State and Tribal Climate Action Goals.” Co-PI with Dr. Peter Nelson, Dr. Don Hankins, Dr. Kent Lightfoot, and Dr. Scott Stephens (UC Berkeley). $987,502 Awarded.

2023 – 2025                  California Climate Action Seed Grants (University of California Office of the President). “Advancing Climate Resilience through Youth-led Action Research in Oakland, CA.” Lead PI. $1,939,540 Awarded.
- https://tonymarksblock.net

TonyMarks-Block, Ph.D. Faculty Profile