Eleanor Griffiths

Fulbright All Disciplines Scholar Award - East Tennessee State University

Eleanor Griffiths is a Nottingham-based journalist and early career researcher whose work explores American social class, regional identity and media representation. Her fascination with the United States began during her undergraduate studies, when she spent a year at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She has reported on US politics and social movements for publications including Vice, Stylist, The US Daily Mirror, The Independent, and the BBC, and was previously a fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In 2018, a visit to Appalachia sparked a lasting engagement with the region and its communities.

Her doctoral research examined how Appalachian activism challenges dominant liberal narratives, drawing on archival material and historical analysis. As a Fulbright Scholar at East Tennessee State University, Eleanor will build on this work by exploring working-class environmental activism across the region. She will work with local archives, including the Archives of Appalachia, and conduct interviews with activists from both the past and present to better understand how grassroots movements are represented—and represent themselves—in public discourse. She is also looking forward to spending extended time immersed in Appalachian culture, particularly its traditional food and Bluegrass music.