My academic research is primarily driven by questions of how people perceive and relate their spaces: how movement through the world — both experiential and imagined — becomes codified in visual and written maps. My interests include cartographic and spatial history, hodography and hodology, as well as the history of movement and pilgrimage. My current work examines the cultural history of eels in England from the tenth through the seventeenth centuries, focusing on eel’s role in economic change, the growth of a national English identity, and the evolution of spatial practice in early modern London.
I tweet about eel history on a regular basis as The Surprised Eel Historian, at: https://twitter.com/greenleejw
I hold a PhD in Medieval Studies from Cornell University, with a focus in medieval and cartographic history. In addition, I hold masters degrees in Public Administration with a focus on Non-profit Management and Business/Government Relationships (Park University), History with a focus on European and World History (East Tennessee State University), and a Masters in Medieval Studies with a focus on medieval and cartographic history (Cornell University). My bachelors degree from Hamilton College is in History and Classical Studies.
Before returning to school, I coached collegiate volleyball for ten years. Following that, I worked as a researcher for the Conflict Securities Advisory Group (CSAG). While studying in East Tennessee, I spent time as a whitewater rafting and caving guide.
For more information, see either my professional academic portfolio or my curriculum vitae (or both!).