Research
My ethnographic research is rooted in a central question: How do people navigate life transitions in the context of shifting cultural, economic, and environmental landscapes? Whether the challenge is toxic exposure, economic dislocation, or the longing for a meaningful life, I’m drawn to the ways individuals and communities adapt, resist, and reimagine what’s possible. My work spans Appalachia, the rural Midwest, and Southeast Asia, and is guided by a commitment to narrative integrity, ethical collaboration, and public engagement.
You may begin exploring my ethnographic fieldwork by reviewing the project summaries below. For detailed information on particular areas of interest, you can select “Research” from the above menu and then “Research Interests” to see specific areas of interest. A selection of publications available for you to view may be found on the Publications page.
(Re)Constructing West Virginia in the Post-Industrial Economic Order
2009–Present | Huntington & the Tri-State Region, West Virginia
This long-term fieldwork investigates how Appalachian communities reconstruct identity and cultivate resilience amid economic restructuring and industrial decline. Focusing on Huntington, I explore how new models of work, entrepreneurship, and place-making emerge in tension with legacies of extraction and structural dependence. The project highlights grassroots innovation as both cultural expression and political strategy in the face of adversity.
I’m Afraid of That Water: A Collaborative Ethnography of a West Virginia Water Crisis
2014–2020 | Kanawha Valley, West Virginia
This collaborative project documents the lived experience of the 2014 Elk River chemical spill and its aftermath. Developed with more than fifty community members, writers, and scholars, the book foregrounds oral histories, local knowledge, and reflections on health, trust, infrastructure, and environmental justice. The project represents a methodological and ethical shift in my work toward collective authorship and participatory research.
Lifestyle Migration and the Quest for Potential Selves
2000–2012 | Northwest Lower Michigan
Through the stories of middle-class families relocating to amenity-rich rural areas, this project explores lifestyle migration as a form of moral and existential reorientation. I argue that such migration reflects both a continuity with longstanding American narratives of reinvention and a distinctly modern response to the pressures of contingent labor and flexible capitalism. This work has become foundational to my theorizing of the “fifth migration.”
Community Building Among Indonesian Transmigrants
1998 | Bolaang Mongondow, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
As a Fulbright Scholar, I examined state-led migration in Indonesia through the lens of community-making. Government-planned settlements aimed at national integration reveal tensions between imposed ideals and lived realities. This research highlighted how transmigrants creatively negotiate identity, belonging, and survival in unfamiliar ecological and social landscapes.
Research Themes
Across these diverse settings, my work converges around several key themes:
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Personhood & Place – How identity is shaped through movement, settlement, and attachment to landscape
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Narrative & Transition – How people use stories to make sense of life changes and crises
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Community & Belonging – How new social forms emerge in the wake of displacement or disillusionment
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Public Anthropology & Ethics – How research can be collaboratively produced and community accountable