Dr. Mark Anthony Arceño successfully completed his degree requirements in December, having defended and submitted his dissertation “Changing [Vitivini]Cultures in Ohio, USA, and Alsace, France: An Ethnographic Study of Terroir and the Taste of Place.” His research focused on the experiences of winegrowers in both Ohio and Alsace, in regard to their understanding of and responses to various forms of landscape change (due to the impacts of climate change, extreme weather events, legislative regulations/restrictions, fluctuating economies or societal pressures, etc.). In the process of conducting interviews and participant observations, Dr. Arceño drew on multisensory ethnography and multispecies approaches to frame terroir as a theoretical and analytical tool that helps trace how human, non-human, and even non-living, participants of the winegrowing system interact with one another. He further argues that such a framing helps people articulate what an idealized system feels like as they co-create the taste of place. Divergences from the norm signal not only change but also opportunities for innovation. Moreover, the ways in which winegrowers (or the system itself) adapt to these changes illustrate how place-based identity appears constant while also being dynamic.

Dr. Arceño’s research was supported by the Ohio State Department of Anthropology (Elizabeth A. Salt Anthropology Travel Award; Larsen Research and Travel Award); the Ohio State Office of International Affairs and Office of Research (International Affairs Academic Enrichment Grant); and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States (Humanities and Social Sciences Chateaubriand Fellowship #MakeOurPlanetGreatAgain). Prior to completing his Ph.D., Dr. Arceño began his new role across The Oval in the Department of Comparative Studies as its Academic Program Coordinator.

You can check out Dr. Arceño's dissertation presentation below!