News and Updates

Lightfoot presentation receives international recognition

Dr. Robert Lightfoot, associate professor of criminal justice/sociology at South Georgia State College, has received international recognition for a presentation on cultural disruptions. 

Lightfoot’s presentation, “Sorry, We Didn’t Mean to Break Your Culture,” was one of 15 works published in a recent issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, the “oldest astronautical journal in the world.”

Lightfoot first made his presentation in February 2013 at the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop in Huntsville, Ala.  The main idea centered on how “small, seemingly insignificant objects” from one culture can cause “massive disruptions in unpredictable manners” in other cultures.  Lightfoot cited the “tulip bubble” in 17th century Holland and the introduction of Spam in the South Pacific as two historical examples of cultural disruptions.

“It is an honor to be thought of as contributing to the issue of mankind’s progress,” Lightfoot said of his presentation and its selection for publication.

This is the first international publication for Lightfoot, who is the author of one book and various papers that have been published in the United States.