Date: Wed, 19 Jan 94 16:06:41 EST From: John Hannum Subject: John B. Hannum. John B. Hannum Academic Affiliation: Rural Sociology Department College of Agriculture University of Kentucky Mailing Address: Director of Graduate Studies English Department 1215 Patterson Office Tower Lexington, KY 40506-0027 TEL: 606-257-7006 FAX: 606-323-1072 After graduating from the University of Georgia with a BA in journalism, served for three years as a journalist at the Tehran Journal in Tehran, Iran. Developed an interest in *development*, so joined Peace Corps, served three years in Chad ('76-'79), then joined USAID as a contractor, serving in Sudan until 1985, when I went to the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague and got an MA in Development Studies, with a concentration in Agricultural Policy. Came to Kentucky in 1987 to work with Milt Coughenour, Larry Busch and Bill Lacy. My research interest at that time was on the social implications of Plant Breeder's Rights, later enlarging into bio-technology. Working with Larry Burmeister, I developed an interest in the "state" and agricultural policy. My major field of interest is currently the adoption/ diffusion of the "American Complex" of crops into central Africa in the mid 18th century and its implications for standard adoption/diffusion models -- in fact this is my dissertation topic. I spent part of 1988 in Sudan doing research on agricultural administration (not surprising, I used to work there at the Agricultural Research Corporation), and 90-91 in Zaire, until we were ordered to leave. I've done some relatively interesting (to me) work here in Kentucky on alternative crops to tobacco (there aren't any) and nationally for the Soil Conservation Service on social obstacles to implementation of the 1985 and 1990 Farm Bills. I suppose I'm a classical sort of rural sociologist, in the pattern of Bonnanno, Mooney, Gary Green, Lou Swanson, etc: I take a class based analysis as my departure point for explaining change in rural areas and in rural policy. I'm also interested in farming systems and their integration into the world system, as well as the organizational ecology of technological change. I've always worked on "soft money", so when we ran out I took an administrative position in the English Department. Hope to complete my Post Hole Digger in December. I'm a member of the Rural History Association and was one of the first members of the "Critical Theory Group" of the Rural Sociological Society. Also listowner of the Rural Sociology Net, RURSOC-L@UKCC.UKY.EDU