Daniel J. Philippon

Daniel J. Philippon is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, specializing in American environmental literature and the environmental humanities. His research explores the intersections of nature, culture, place, and sustainable food systems through literary criticism (ecocriticism), environmental history, ethics, and conservation biology.

• Education: PhD in English from the University of Virginia (1998)

Philippon’s scholarship emphasizes the role of writing in shaping social change, particularly in the sustainable food movement. His latest book, The Farmer, the Gastronome, and the Chef: In Pursuit of the Ideal Meal (University of Virginia Press, 2024), examines the practical and ethical dimensions of food systems through the works of Wendell Berry, Carlo Petrini, and Alice Waters. He has also authored Conserving Words: How American Nature Writers Shaped the Environmental Movement.

His fieldwork includes farming in Wisconsin, grape assessment in Italy, and cooking in France, reflecting his commitment to embodied research. Awards include the Morse–Alumni Association Award, Motley Exemplary Teaching Award, and fellowships at the Rachel Carson Center and as a Fulbright Scholar.

• Leadership: Past president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE)
• International Experience: Visiting Professor at École Normale Supérieure de Lyon