Adam Tompkins

Adam Tompkins serves as Associate Professor of History at Lakeland University Japan within the Batten & Black School of International Studies. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in History from Arizona State University (2011).

Education:

• Ph.D. in History, Arizona State University, 2011

Professor Tompkins specializes in environmental history with particular focus on Japanese and American contexts. His research explores the intersection of social movements, environmental justice, and land use transformations, especially examining postwar Japan's demilitarization processes and agricultural environmental issues in California. His work frequently analyzes how communities negotiate spaces of memory and protest through physical landscapes.

His scholarly output demonstrates consistent engagement with environmental history across two decades, showing progression from American agricultural labor and pesticide issues toward more focused studies of Japanese postwar transformation. A significant portion of his recent work examines military base conversions in Japan and their relationship to cultural memory and urban development, reflecting deepening regional expertise.

Professor Tompkins has established scholarly connections across North America and Japan, evidenced by publications in both English and Japanese venues including a translation in Peace Sociology Research from Seijo University. His interdisciplinary approach bridges history, environmental studies, and cultural analysis.