1804

1804 continues Rich-Joseph Facun’s exploration of life in the Appalachian foothills of Southeast Ohio. The work examines the relationship between a rural community and its local university, an institution deeply intertwined with the region’s economic, cultural, and social life. Facun looks at how that relationship shapes the character and daily life of the area. In Athens, Appalachian culture and university life intersect in distinctive ways. The university is deeply embedded in local life, while also functioning as a major employer, economic engine, and cultural force—a presence that can resemble a modern-day company town. That relationship is mutually sustaining, but also precarious. The university depends on the community, while the community depends on the university. Financial pressures, staff reductions, changing patterns in college enrollment, broader demographic shifts, and changes to state and federal funding are creating new uncertainties for both. 1804 considers what happens when an institution so central to a rural community begins to change. More broadly, it examines the role anchor institutions play in rural communities, the cultures and dependencies that develop around them, and what happens when those relationships become strained.