John Strait

John Strait is a Professor of Geography at Sam Houston State University (SHSU), affiliated with the College of Science & Engineering Technology and the Department of Environmental and Geosciences. He earned a BA in Geography and Urban Studies from Wittenberg University, an MA in Geography from Georgia State University, and a PhD from the University of Georgia.

• Current roles: Assistant Chair of Environmental and Geosciences, Geography Program Coordinator, and faculty sponsor of GOSH (Geographers of Sam Houston).
• Teaches courses like GEOG 1300 (People, Place & Environment), GEOG 4360 (Cultural Field Studies: Music, Civil Rights, & Place in the Birthplace of the Blues), and GEOG 4076 (The Mixed Plate: Cultural & Environmental Diversity of Hawai’i).

His research intersects racial/ethnic identities, urban dynamics, diaspora studies, and the geographic dimensions of social movements through music, street art, and religion. Recent work explores environmental sustainability as indigenous resistance in Hawaii/New Zealand and neighborhood poverty impacts on health disparities. He directs field courses in the Mississippi Delta, Spain, and Hawaii, integrating the 'pedagogy of place.'

Scientific contributions include leading NEH-sponsored summer workshops and co-leading a National Geographic Society-funded project on place-based geography curricula. Awards include the 2023 AAG Distinguished Teaching Honors Award, shared with his wife Ava Fujimoto-Strait. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the European Scientific Journal–Humanities and consults for the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum in Chicago.

Personal aspirations include writing a comprehensive book on barbecue geography and visiting every Texas county seat with his family, including wife Ava (a fellow geographer), children Prezley and Memphis, and dogs Tupelo and Kaia Rei. His work combines immersive field experiences with scholarly rigor, bridging academic, cultural, and community geographies.