Research Agenda
My research is broadly motivated by pressing concerns about our democracy. I study contemporary political dynamics across three research streams (1) the politics of inclusion and engaged citizenship (2) the cultural and political dynamics of communication and (3) policy feedback effects.
Ultimately, my goal is to use this knowledge to imagine and build a more just, inclusive democracy that centers the needs and desires of ordinary citizens.
The Politics of Inclusion and Engaged Citizenship
My dissertation examines efforts to include young people of color in the political process, drawing on more than three years of ethnographic research and 90 interviews with participants in two community organizations in Wisconsin. I follow young citizens from their initial mobilization in high school through early adulthood, analyzing how these formative experiences shape their relationship with the state, political beliefs, and future civic engagement.
The Mirage of Democracy
How the Political Process Nurtures Disillusionment and Erodes Trust
In this chapter, I argue that distrust and disillusionment are learned through citizens' interactions with the state and the policymaking process. I provide a glimpse into the making and breaking of trust, highlighting how it is constructed relationally through interactions between citizens, political institutions, and political elites.
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An article version of this chapter is currently in under review.
Mobilizing Potential
Pathways to Engaged Citizenship
In this chapter, I challenge the conventional wisdom that an interest in politics is a necessary precondition for political participation. I show how civic associations mobilize unpoliticized citizens through three mobilization pathways and further facilitate political socialization through formal political education, managing interactions with the state, and creating space for informal political discussion.
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An article version of this chapter is currently in under review.
Producing Citizens
Activist Trajectories and the Ripple Effects of Youth Activism
In this chapter, I trace activist trajectories from youth into young adulthood using longitudinal ethnography and multi-wave interviews. I show how and why some young people stayed committed activists, while others reduced their political participation to only institutional strategies (e.g. voting), extra-institutional strategies (e.g. protesting), or drop out of political life altogether.
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Data collection and analysis are ongoing for this chapter.
The Cultural and Political Dynamics of Communication
I have several projects that speak to urgent concerns about misinformation, contention, and polarization by examining how various modes of communication - online, face-to-face, and in the news - shapes contemporary political dynamics.
"We're Cooked!"
Sarcasm, Snark, and Gallows Humor as a Cultural Tool for Political Activism
In a standalone article that draws from my dissertation, I argue that wit, sarcasm, and gallows humor are cultural tools that activists deploy in times of crisis to relieve tension, build community, and mitigate burnout. I accomplish this by using a novel dataset of conversations amongst young people as they reacted to a series of crises in the lead up to the 2024 election: Trump's felony convictions, the Trump-Biden Debate, the attempted assassination of Trump, Biden dropping out of the race, and Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee.
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Data collection and analysis are ongoing for this paper.
The Local Roots of January 6th
January 6th is often conceptualized as an elite driven, national event. In this mixed-methods project, we examine the role that local Republican county parties played in fanning the flames for the #StopTheSteal movement on Facebook.
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An article based on this research, co-authored with Jianing Li, Benny Witkovsky, Yiming Wang, Lewis A. Friedland, Michael W. Wagner, and Dhavan V. Shah, was published in Politics & Society (link).​ A public facing version of this piece was published in The Conversation (link). A methodological essay based on this project, co-authored with Jianing Li, was published in The Media and January 6th (link).
Policy Feedback Effects
I also have multiple projects that examine the intended and unintended consequences of local, state, and federal policies on the lives of ordinary citizens
In the Shadow of Sunshine Laws
Open Meeting Laws and Administrative Burdens
In a standalone chapter that draws from my dissertation, I specify how open meeting laws impose administrative burdens on the public and inadvertently thwart citizen participation in governance.
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This chapter is forthcoming in Democracy, Governance, and Law.
Pandemic Housing
The Role of Landlords, Social Networks, and Social Policy in Mitigating Housing Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This article shows how federal and state COVID-19 relief efforts failed to improve long-term housing insecurity among low-income renters.
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This article, coauthored with Max Besbris, Eva Rosen, and Brian McCabe was published in RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences (link).
