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Ethnicity, Race & Nationalism

A strong focus of research at Kent State lies in examining how ethnicity and nationalism play out geographically.  Members of the department have produced multiple books and articles on these topics in such regions as Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and North America.   Our scholarship has included issues of national identity, geopolitical imaginaries, segregation, and diasporas.  We have long been active in the . We also edit the international multi-disciplinary journal .

FACULTY:

• Lisa Bhungalia: Political, race, violence, Middle East
• Dave Kaplan: Nationalism and ethnicity, French and Italian geography, urban planning, transportation, segregation
• Sarah Smiley: Sub-Saharan Africa, water resources, urban geography
• Jim Tyner: Political economy, Political geography, violence, genocide, social justice

Violence and Memory

Members of Kent State’s Department of Geography actively research the critical social geographies of violence, memory, and their confluence. We are affiliated with research conferences such as Race, Ethnicity, Place and the International Society of Landscape, Place and Material Culture. Faculty also maintain a connection with the May 4 Visitors Center on campus, which commemorates the May 4, 1970, shootings of peacefully protesting students. These Kent State faculty have experience researching and questioning the origins of violence and how it is perpetuated, commemorated, and desisted.

FACULTY:

• Lisa Bhungalia: Political, race, violence, Middle East
• Chris Post: Cultural landscape, historical geography, North America, commemorative justice, company towns, food justice
• Jim Tyner: Political economy, Political geography, violence, genocide, social justice

Social Justice

Members of Kent State’s Department of Geography actively research critical social geographies in various forms: political, economic, environmental, violence, memory, culture, and urbanization. We are affiliated with research conferences such as Race, Ethnicity, Place, African Studies, Urban Affairs, and the International Society of Landscape, Place and Material Culture. Faculty also maintain connections with the Cleveland Urban Design Collective and the May 4 Visitors Center (commemorating the May 4, 1970 shootings on campus) and engage their research across the United States and abroad in Cambodia, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. These Kent State faculty have experience researching the status quo of the world’s political economy and how it engenders uneven development, violence, environmental abuse, and other concerns.

FACULTY:

• Lisa Bhungalia: Political, race, violence, Middle East
• Dave Kaplan: Nationalism and ethnicity, French and Italian geography, urban planning, transportation, segregation
• Chris Post: Cultural landscape, historical geography, North America, commemorative justice, company towns, food justice
• Sarah Smiley: Sub-Saharan Africa, water resources, urban geography
• Jim Tyner: Political economy, Political geography, violence, genocide, social justice

Cultural Landscape

Members of Kent State’s Department of Geography actively and critically research the cultural landscape in various forms: political, economic, environmental, violence, memory, race, ethnicity, and urbanization. We are affiliated with research conferences such as Race, Ethnicity, Place, African Studies, Urban Affairs, and the International Society of Landscape, Place and Material Culture. Faculty also maintain connections with the Cleveland Urban Design Collective and the May 4 Visitors Center (commemorating the May 4, 1970 shootings on campus) and engage their research across the United States and abroad in Cambodia, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. These Kent State faculty have experience researching the cultural landscapes of memory, heritage, violence, small towns, and major cities for their meanings and significance.

FACULTY:

• Lisa Bhungalia: Political, race, violence, Middle East
• Dave Kaplan: Nationalism and ethnicity, French and Italian geography, urban planning, transportation, segregation
• Jennifer Mapes: Small towns, sustainability, planning, community geography, and cartography
• Chris Post: Cultural landscape, historical geography, North America, commemorative justice, company towns, food justice
• Sarah Smiley: Sub-Saharan Africa, water resources, urban geography
• Jim Tyner: Political economy, Political geography, violence, genocide, social justice