People
Richard Bargielski
PhD Student
Contact
Email: bargielski@mail.usf.edu
Education
- M.A., Anthropology, Ohio State University
- B.A., Sustainability, Baldwin Wallace University
Advisor
E. Christian Wells
Teaching
Anthropology 2410—Cultural Anthropology, and Anthropology 4401—Exploring Cross-Cultural Diversity
Research
My research investigates how people relate to nature through interpersonal experiences, and how this motivates them to take action for social change. My current work aims to develop what I call a “political ecology of rural resentment” by studying how people in rural Ohio form place-specific understandings and responses to national political trends. Drawing on the concept of a “blasted landscape,” I am examining how such phenomena as the rise of right-wing nationalism and the nation’s opiate crisis are best thought of as products of degraded environments.
My research utilizes a mixed-methods approach that blends ethnography, discourse analysis, epidemiology, and multispecies approaches. My ultimate goal is to help environmental scientists and policymakers understand the relationships between social problems and devise solutions that address the synergistic relationship between human health and ecology.
Publications
“A Political Ecology of Ohio’s Opiate Crisis.” EnviroSociety, 30 August. www.envirosociety.org/2017/08/a-political-ecology-of-ohios-opiate-crisis.