Research

My research focuses on the political landscapes of rural America. What is the role of geography in shaping how rural communities conceptualize politics and society? How is local social capital levied in rural areas to influence public opinion and political behavior? In what way does the convergence of national and local polarization shape rural areas? And perhaps most importantly, I want to understand if and how these processes evolve. I want to emphasize that in this research, the issues of racism, supremacy, elitism, and prejudice must be centered. There is space to empathetically research people who feel exploited while also holding those same people and their surrounding systems accountable for violence.

I approach my research from the perspective of intersecting identities, ideologies, and regionalities. This means considering a community’s conception of self, unique beliefs, and geopolitical position in tandem before making arguments or assumptions about what animates a community’s behavior.