Mark Allan Rhodes II

Mark Allan Rhodes II is an Assistant Professor of Geography at Michigan Technological University, affiliated with the Industrial Heritage and Archaeology Program within the College of Social Sciences. His research intersects cultural and historical geography, focusing on memory, heritage, landscape, and post-industrial transitions, particularly in transnational contexts such as Wales.

• PhD in Geography, Kent State University
• MA in Geography, Kent State University

Rhodes’ research interests include cultural and post-industrial geographies, national identity formation, political ecology, memorial landscapes, and sustainable heritage. His work critically examines how memory is spatially constructed through museums, monuments, and everyday practices, with a special focus on figures like Paul Robeson and institutions such as National Museum Wales. He explores how industrial heritage is interpreted and repurposed in ways that impact community identity and sustainability.

His recent publications analyze UNESCO World Heritage sites, memorial entrepreneurship, food-based living memory, and the political ecologies of heritage. These works demonstrate a consistent engagement with scalar analysis, critical theory, and transdisciplinary methodologies. Funding from the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Park Service supports his ongoing research on industrial heritage policy, literary geographies, and equitable cultural resource management.

Rhodes has received research grants including:

• Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program (2025)
• American Philosophical Society Franklin Research Grant (2025)
• National Park Service Cultural Resources Management Grant (2024)
• Michigan Tech Research Seed Grant (2020)

He actively mentors collaborative research projects and has co-led major interdisciplinary grants focused on sustainable futures in industrial cultural resource management. While no formal student advisees are listed, his work involves extensive collaboration with students and partners across institutions.

Rhodes is involved in key research initiatives such as:

• Equitable and Sustainable Futures in Industrial Cultural Resource Management
• Landscaping, Scaling, and Routing Policy in EU Industrial Heritage
• Writing the Nation: Literary Geographies of National Museums Scotland
• Memory and Memorialization of Paul Robeson
• Political Ecology of Living Memory