Kruse, Robert J.

Robert J. Kruse II earned a Ph.D. in Geography from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. His scholarly work includes publications in leading geographical journals pertaining to geographies of popular music and the spatial aspects of disabilities. He is currently Assistant Professor of Geography at West Liberty State College, West Liberty, West Virginia.

Cultural Geography of the Beatles: How Landscapes are Represented as Musical Texts (strawberry Fields, Abbey Road, and Penny Lane)

2005 0-7734-5940-5
This book is the first comprehensive geographical analysis of the Beatles. While scholars in a variety of disciplines have analyzed the Beatles’ affect on popular culture, a study of the Beatles from a distinctly spatial perspective has been missing in the literature. This study fills that gap by employing traditional topics of cultural geography such as place and landscape associated with them. In addition, this work addresses the Beatles’ rise to worldwide fame in terms of the influences of particular places of their youth in Liverpool, places where they performed in England, and the changing settings of their international tours. Fieldwork conducted in London and Liverpool, England and New York City in the United States revealed a variety of spatial practices that occur at places associated with the Beatles. Such practices include inscriptions by fans or “pilgrims”, the leaving of artifacts, and re-enactments of famous photographs of the group. This book will appeal to scholars and students and cultural geography as well as sociology and culture studies.

How Dwarfs Experience the World Around Them

2007 0-7734-5281-8
Offers an unprecedented view into the everyday geographies of people with dwarfism. From the practical aspects of mobility and public accessibility to the intricacies of family and private spaces, the author examines the ways in which the geographies of dwarfism are similar to and differ from those of other disabilities.