Name: Taro FUTAMURA
B.Ed: Yokohama National University (Geography), 1998
M.S.: University of Tsukuba (Geography), 2000
Current Status: 6th Year, Ph.D Program (Ph.D candidate since October 2004)
Department of Geography, University of Kentucky

Research Interests: Geographies of food, space and identity, politics of place,
development of geographic thought since the late 20th century, American studies

Regional Focus: United States, Japan

Research topics:
• Emergence of 'food localism' in the context of post-tobacco agricultural restructuring
  in Kentucky (Dissertation research)
• Production and consumption of 'local' food and place identities, particularly focused on
  farmers' markets and county food festivals (Dissertation research)
• Spatial segregation of American agribusinesses (especially cattle feedlot and grain farming)
  and their vertical integration in southwest Kansas (collabolated studies, 1998-2002)
• Inmigration of migrant laborers and economic restructuring in rural America (collaborated study, 1998-2004)
• Critical studies of language minorities in the United States (Master's thesis)

Recent Publication:
• Futamura, T. 2007. Made in Kentucky: The Meaning of 'Local' Food Products in Kentucky's Farmer's Markets.
  Japanese Journal of American Studies 18: 209-227. [PDF]

Teaching experience:
• GEO 152: Regional Geography of the World (Summer 2003, Fall 2003, 2004, Spring 2005, 2006)
• GEO 160: Land and People in the Non-Western World (Spring 2004)
• GEO/JPN 334: Environment, Society, and Economy of Japan (Summer 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)

E-mail: tfuta2@uky.edu

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