The Global Studies and Geography Department Celebrates Geography Awareness Week 2018 with a Lecture by Dr. Thomas Maraffa

As part of our Geography Awareness Week, Dr. Thomas Maraffa, Professor Emeritus of Geography, Youngstown State University, gave a very well attended lecture on Wednesday, November 14, titled, “Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley: Image and Reality,”  This talk focused on how Youngstown, Ohio, and the Mahoning Valley have become the archetype of the once prosperous industrial region that has declined in the post-industrial era. In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, it has become a rite of passage for journalists to take pilgrimages to Youngstown to attempt to understand why a region that has traditionally voted for Democrats gave a solid majority to Donald Trump. His presentation placed the Mahoning Valley in the geographic context of U.S. cultural and economic regions; identified the cultural traditions that define the Mahoning Valley; and explored the recent economic evolution that is transforming the region. 

The talk was co-sponsored by the Hofstra Cultural Center and the Departments of Political Science, Sociology, and Economics.

Visit our Flickr page for additional photos from the event.