Phillip Vannini, PhD - School of Communication and Culture

Topics:

• Material culture (how people make sense of and use everyday objects)
• The cultural aspects of transportation and mobility
• B.C Ferries from a social/cultural perspective
• The everyday life and culture of islands
• Consumerism and consumption
• Symbolic interaction in everyday life
• Technology in everyday life
• The regional cultures of Canada`s West Coast
• Cultural aspects of the human body and the senses

Phillip Vannini earned his PhD in sociology at Washington State University in Pullman and now lives in Ladysmith where he experiences all that island living has to offer.

His research crosses disciplines in an interpretive and ethnographic way. His intellectual goal is to enhance understanding of the relationships of everyday life, in all its remarkably complex yet seemingly simple and mundane rituals.

Vannini has been quoted on everything from the cultural significance of BC Ferries to popular music. He is often called upon to talk about the social and culture signifance of transportation as well as many rituals of everyday life. 

In 2010, Vannini was awarded a Canada Research Chair in Innovative Learning and Public Ethnography.   

Media queries for RRU staff and faculty should be directed to 

Doug Ozeroff in RRU Community Relations, 250-391-2526.  For other queries, contact Dr. Vannini directly.