Major Field: Political Theory
Minor Field: Gender and Sexuality Studies
Research Interests: feminist political theory; feminist social movements; affect; gender and media; gender, race, and politics
Research Experience:
- Research Assistant for Michaele Ferguson, 2017, 2021
- Editorial Assistant for American Political Science Review, 2020 - present
- Social Media Editorial Assistant for American Political Science Review, 2020 -present
- Editorial Assistant for Contemporary Political Theory, 2017
- Editor for Engenderings, the London School of Economics, Gender Institute, 2011-2012
Teaching Interests: contemporary political theory, critical race theory, feminist political theory, Indigenous political thought, democratic theory; gender and media
Teaching Experience:
- Instructor of Record
- PSCI 3054: American Political Thought, Spring 2020
- PSCI 3174: Sex, Power, and Politics, Fall 2019, Summer 2021 - online, Fall 2021
- PSCI 2004: Modern Political Ideologies, Summer 2019, Summer 2020 - remote
Dissertation Title: Feminist Claims and the Politics of Reception
Dissertation Committee: Michaele Ferguson (chair), Steven Vanderheiden, Tamar Malloy, Carew Boulding, Celeste Montoya
Dissertation Description:
In this dissertation, I ask, how do feminists get heard? In particular, how do feminists navigate, challenge, and subvert the norms and scripts that render their claims and protests of injustice unintelligible or unhearable? In the wake of ongoing feminist protests against sexual violence, reproductive injustice, and racist discrimination, understanding how feminist protests work within and outside of normative scripts continues to be an important site for democratic inquiry, as conformity to these scripts delineates the opportunity and ability for feminist claims to be heard. For far too long, scholars have been preoccupied with the limits of feminist political practice, outlining the ways and reasons for which women, and especially women of color, are not heard. Defining successful political practice in accordance with adherence to raced and gendered scripts, then, effaces the very practices that mobilize and activate feminists and non-feminists. My dissertation provides a necessary intervention into this problem by exploring the unique political strategies feminists use to challenge gendered and raced scripts, get heard, and mobilize other feminists and non-feminists. Through detailed analysis of select case studies, including the anti-Kavanaugh protests, Black Lives Matter, and localized Women’s Marches, I contend that analyzing how feminist claims and protests rework, subvert, and create scripts provides necessary insight into how feminist communities activate and mobilize other feminists and non-feminists.
Expected Defense Date: February/March 2022
Publications:
● 2019 “‘Can You Hear Me Now?’: Race, Motherhood, and the Politics of Being Heard.” Politics & Gender, 15(4): 623-644.
Papers Under Review:
● 'Feel My Rage': Feminist Protest and Affective Mobilization. Revise and Rebsubmit.
Awards:
● 2021 American Council of Learned Societies’ Emerging Voices Fellowship, Finalist ($65,000)
● 2021 American Council of Learned Societies’ Emerging Voices Grant ($500)
● 2021 Be the Change Inclusive Teaching Graduate Representative ($140), University of Colorado Boulder
● 2020-2021 Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellowship ($13,165.19), University of Colorado Boulder
● 2021 Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant ($1000), University of Colorado Boulder
● 2020 Graduate School Summer Fellowship ($6000), University of Colorado Boulder
● 2018 Qualifying Paper Prize (1st place) ($750), University of Colorado Boulder
● 2018 Graduates in Political Science Paper Prize (3rd place), University of Colorado Boulder
● 2018 Beverly Sears Graduate Student Grant ($1000), University of Colorado Boulder
● 2012 U.S. Presidential Management Fellowship Finalist, nominated by the London School of Economics