Eric M Usner

Eric M Usner serves as Senior Adjunct Assistant Professor of American Studies at Franklin & Marshall College, teaching across Africana Studies, Environmental Studies, Music, and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies since 2014. His academic appointments extend to The University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Vienna, reflecting a transnational scholarly profile.

Education:

• Ph.D., New York University
• M.A., University of California, Riverside
• Fulbright Study, University of Vienna
• Certificate, University of Cambridge (T.E.F.L.A.)
• B.A., Dickinson College

Usner’s research critically examines music and food as sites of cultural negotiation, focusing on race, gender, and sustainability. His ethnomusicological work analyzes Viennese cultural identity and American popular music subcultures, while food studies research investigates political ecology of agricultural systems and identity formation through culinary practices, consistently linking these domains to social justice frameworks.

Publication trends reveal an evolution from early studies of race in neo-swing dance to contemporary explorations of regenerative practices and ecological imaginaries. His scholarship increasingly integrates music studies with sustainability science, examining greenwashing in climate discourse and developing critical pedagogies for unlearning dominant paradigms through sound.

Scientific Awards:

• Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation Fellow
• Fulbright Study

Usner directs community-engaged scholarship through food justice initiatives like Chicago’s Southside food justice coordination and Lancaster’s Localizing Drawdown project. His grant activities include Fulbright research in Vienna and Gluck Foundation support for community outreach, emphasizing participatory methodologies that bridge academic and public spheres.