He specializes in urban communication, intercultural communication, ethnography, and the study of community. His first book, Where the Ball Drops: Days and Nights in Times Square, was published by University of Minnesota Press in 2004. He is also co-author of Recording Culture: Audio Documentary and the Ethnographic Experience (Sage, forthcoming August 2008). Makagon's published articles on guerrilla art, cultural disruption, democracy, and urban life have appeared in Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Southern Communication Journal, Text & Performance Quarterly, and Journal of Communication Inquiry. His audio documentaries have been broadcast on public radio and DocumentaryWorks.org.