Refereed journal articles
Refereed journal articles
In recent years, scholars have identified a political formation that mobilizes the emancipatory energies of feminism in the service of the expansion of the carceral state. ‘Carceral feminism’, as it has come to be known, is often portrayed by these scholars as a product feminist-conservative convergence. Here, I argue that the rise of the SlutWalk movement suggests a more complex genealogy for carceral feminism. By situating SlutWalk in the historico-theoretical context of feminism’s sex wars, I reveal the carceral-feminist impulses roiling beneath its progressive ‘sex-positive’ surface. With its tendency to reduce sexual freedom to expressive freedom, valorize conventional forms of femininity and (hetero)sexuality, and promote a fundamentally carceral paradigm of sexual freedom, the SlutWalk movement, I argue, is descended from anti-censorship/pro-sex feminism, a liberal-feminist hybrid that emerged out of the convergence of sex radical feminism and liberalism during the sex wars. When viewed in this light, SlutWalk no longer appears as a sign that feminism’s ‘pleasure’ and ‘danger’ factions have negotiated a long-awaited ‘sex-détente’. Rather, it stands as a testament to the extent to which feminism’s once radical aspirations in the domain of sexual politics have been supplanted by a tepid, heteronormative, and disquietingly carceral liberal project.
"Sex Wars, Slut Walks, and Carceral Feminism." Contemporary Political Theory. (Forthcoming)
In recent years, scholars have identified a political formation that mobilizes the emancipatory energies of feminism in the service of the expansion of the carceral state. ‘Carceral feminism’, as it has come to be known, is often portrayed by these scholars as a product feminist-conservative convergence. Here, I argue that the rise of the SlutWalk movement suggests a more complex genealogy for carceral feminism. By situating SlutWalk in the historico-theoretical context of feminism’s sex wars, I reveal the carceral-feminist impulses roiling beneath its progressive ‘sex-positive’ surface. With its tendency to reduce sexual freedom to expressive freedom, valorize conventional forms of femininity and (hetero)sexuality, and promote a fundamentally carceral paradigm of sexual freedom, the SlutWalk movement, I argue, is descended from anti-censorship/pro-sex feminism, a liberal-feminist hybrid that emerged out of the convergence of sex radical feminism and liberalism during the sex wars. When viewed in this light, SlutWalk no longer appears as a sign that feminism’s ‘pleasure’ and ‘danger’ factions have negotiated a long-awaited ‘sex-détente’. Rather, it stands as a testament to the extent to which feminism’s once radical aspirations in the domain of sexual politics have been supplanted by a tepid, heteronormative, and disquietingly carceral liberal project.
"Sex Wars, Slut Walks, and Carceral Feminism." Contemporary Political Theory. (Forthcoming)
Curriculum Vitae
A PDF of my complete CV is available here:
Academic Employment
Associate Professor Political Science and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Program Coordinator, Dept. of Humanities, Flagler College (Spring 2022 - Present).
Assistant Professor Political Science and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Program Coordinator, Dept. of Humanities, Flagler College (Fall 2020 - Spring 2022).
Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Humanities, Flagler College (Spring 2019).
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Political Science, University of Nebraska at Kearney (Fall
2016 - Fall 2018).
Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Humanities, Flagler College (Spring 2016).
Education
University of Florida | Ph.D., Political Science | Fall 2015
Subfields: Political Theory and American Politics
University of Florida | Graduate Certificate, Women's Studies | Fall 2015
University of Florida | M.A., Political Science | Spring 2012
Flagler College | B.A., Political Science | Spring 2005
Publications
"Feminist Sexual Futures." A critical exchange with Judith Grant, Lori Marso, and Jocelyn Boryczka for Contemporary
Political Theory. (October 2022).
"Trans Feminism or No Feminism at All." Clio and the Contemporary. (June 2022).
"Stop Fighting the Sex Wars and Start Studying Them." Contribution to Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and
Society's "Short Takes: Provocations on public feminism" series on Amia Srinivasan's The Right To Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century (December 2021).
Why We Lost the Sex Wars: Sexual Freedom in the #MeToo Era. University of Minnesota Press (March 2021).
"Gender, Populism, and the QAnon Conspiracy Movement." Frontiers in Sociology. (January 2021).
Book Review. Insurgent Truth: Chelsea Manning and the Politics of Outsider Truth-telling by Lida Maxwell. Theory &
Event (October 2020).
"Gender and Social Theory in the Thought of Mary Wollstonecraft" in The Wollstonecraftian Mind, eds. Alan Coffee,
Eileen Hunt Botting, and Sandrine Berges. Routledge. (2019).
"Sex Wars, Slut Walks, and Carceral Feminism." Contemporary Political Theory. (April 2019)
Book Review. Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter? by Heath Fogg Davis. Perspectives on Politics. (September
2018)
Book Review. Justifying Same-Sex Marriage: A Philosophical Investigation by Louise Richardson Shelf. Politics
& Gender. (September 2017).
"Beyond Barnard: Liberalism, Antipornography Feminism, and the Sex Wars." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture
and Society. (Autumn 2016).
"Methodists Ordain Women" in Great Events in Religion, eds. Andrew Holt and Florin Curta.
ABC-Clio. (Fall 2016).
Public scholarship
"Who actually Lost the Sex Wars." Interivew with Irin Carmon. Transcript published in The Cut (August 2022).
"Why We Lost the S-x Wars." Intervew with Tristan Taormino on Sex Out Loud podcast (July 2021).
"Why We Lost the Sex Wars: Sexual Freedom in the #MeToo Era." nterview with Rachel Stuart on the New Books Network Sex, Sexuality, and Sex Work podcast (April 2021).
"White House barriers show we have forgotten the history behind Lafayette Square." Co-authored with Aurélia Aubert for The Washington Post's history blog "Made by History." (June 2020)
"It's not 'just a cake': Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission." For The Western Political Science Association's blog New West. (December 2017).
"The 'pussyhats' (and other things) make protest fun, which keeps people coming back." Co-authored with Nancy Wadsworth for The Washington Post's political science blog "The Monkey Cage." (February 2016).
"You know it's serious when Nebraskans are marching: The Women's March Omaha." For The New School for Social Research's Public Seminar. (January 2017).
"How do you teach politics in the year of Donald Trump?" Interview featured on National Public Radio's Morning Edition and The NPR Politics Podcast. (October 2016).
"One Hillary, Many Feminisms." For The Huffington Post. (June 2016).
Selected honors, awards, and grants
Dean's Award for Professional Development, Flagler College (May 2022).
Contemporary Political Theory Annual Prize for 2021 for the article "Sex Wars, Slut Walks, and Carceral Feminism" in Contemporary Political Theory, Volume 19, Number 1 (2020), pp. 61-82. Awarded £500. (December 2021).
Kahler Award for Excellence in Teaching, Flagler College. Awarded $4,000. (Fall 2021).
Center for Teaching and Learning Creative Excellence in Teaching Grant, Flagler College. Awarded $1,500. (Spring 2020).
Interdisciplinary Colloquium Program Grant. Awarded by the Research Services Council at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Awarded $7,000. (Spring 2019).
Faculty Senate Artists and Lecturers Grant. Awarded by the Faculty Senate at University of Nebraska Kearney. Awarded $1,750. (Fall 2018).
50 Alumni of Distinction recognition. Awarded by Flagler College. (Fall 2018).
Scholarly Release Award. Awarded by the Office of Research and Research Services Council at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. (Fall 2018).
Okin-Young Award for Feminist Political Theory. Awarded by the Foundations of Political Theory section, the Women's Caucus, and the Women and Politics Research section of the American Political Science Association (Fall 2017).
Delores Auzenne Dissertation Fellowship. Awarded by the University of Florida Graduate School (Spring 2015).
O. Ruth McQuown Scholarship. Awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Science at the University of Florida. (2012).
Professor James Button Memorial Award. Awarded by the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida. (Spring 2012).
Best Graduate Student Paper. Awarded by the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida. (Spring 2010).
"No Justice, No Peace!: Civic engagement as a constraint on riot production in St. Petersburg, FL." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association. (January 2010).
Invited talks
"Sex Work as Therapy?: Critical reflections on the discourse of sex work." Social and Political Thought Workshop at Vanderbilt University. (Fall 2018).
"Third World Feminism and the Sex Wars." University of Colorado Boulder and University of Denver (Fall 2018).
"Does the Government Need to Know Your Sex?" Fireside Chat hosted by the Department of Political Science at University of Nebraska Kearney. (Spring 2018).
"Citizenship in a Diverse Democracy." Inauguration of Dr. Joe Joyner, Flagler College. (Spring 2018).
"Queering UNK." Keynote address at the inaugural Lavender Graduation ceremony at University of Nebraska Kearney. (Spring 2017).
"What is Constitution Day and Why Do We Observe It?" Hosted by Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society at the University of Nebraska Kearney. (Fall 2016).
"Eroticism in Contemporary Christian Worship Music." Hosted by Flagler College (Fall 2014).
Teaching experience
Assistant Professor, Flagler College, Spring 2018 - present
"Introduction to Political Science." Introductory undergraduate survey and general studies course.
"Introduction to Political Thought I." Introductory undergraduate survey of ancient political thought.
"Introduction to Political Thought II." Introductory undergraduate survey of modern political thought.
"Political Science Scope and Methods." Undergraduate research methods seminar.
"LGBTQ Politics." Advanced undergraduate seminar, cross-listed Women's Studies.
"Senior Seminar." Advanced undergraduate capstone seminar.
"The Politics of Pornography." Advanced undergraduate seminar, cross-listed Women's Studies.
"American Political Thought." Advanced undergraduate seminar.
"Feminist Political Thought." Advanced undergraduate seminar, cross-listed Women's Studies.
"First Year Seminar." Required course for all incoming freshman.
Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Fall 2016 - Fall 2018
"Democracy as a Political Idea." Introductory undergraduate survey and general studies course.
"American Political Thought." Advanced undergraduate seminar, cross-listed Women's and Ethnic Studies
"Ancient Political Thought." Advanced undergraduate seminar.
"Democratic Political Thought." Advanced undergraduate seminar.
"Feminist Interpretations of Modern Political Thought." Advanced undergraduate seminar, cross-listed Women's and Ethnic Studies.
"Queer Politics." Advanced undergraduate seminar, cross-listed Women's and Ethnic Studies.
Lecturer, Flagler College, Fall 2015 - Spring 2016
"Introduction to Women's Studies." Introductory undergraduate seminar.
"Introduction to Political Thought I." Introductory undergraduate seminar.
Graduate Instructor, University of Florida, Spring 2014 - Fall 2015
"Sexuality Studies." Intermediate undergraduate lecture-style course.
"Problems of Democracy." Advanced undergraduate seminar.
"Political Ideologies." Introductory undergraduate lecture-style course.
Teaching Assistant, University of Florida, Fall 2010 - Fall 2013
"Facets of Sustainability" with Professor Leslie P. Thiele.
"American Federal Government" with Professor Marcus Hendershot.
"Introduction to International Relations" with Professor Laura Sjoberg.
"Introduction to Political Theory" with Professor Daniel I. O'Neill.
"American Federal Government with Professor Michael Martinez.
"State and Local Politics" with Professor Daniel Smith.
Professional service
Manuscript reviewer for Lexington Books, Political Theory, Law & Social Inquiry, Theory & Event, Continuum: A journal of media and cultural studies, and Politics & Gender.
Commencement invocation and benediction, Flagler College (Spring 2019).
Faculty sponsor for Liberated Bodies, a sex education and consent advocacy club at Flagler College (Fall 2019).
Faculty mentor, Loper2Loper First Year Experience Mentoring Program, University of Nebraska Kearney (Fall 2018)
Faculty representative and speaker, Blue & Gold Welcome Convocation, University of Nebraska Kearney (Fall 2017; Fall 2018).
Non-scientist member of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at University of Nebraska Kearney (Fall 2018)
Member of American Democracy Project Advisory Committee at University of Nebraska Kearney (Spring 2018 - Fall 2018)
Member of Women's, Gender, and Ethnic Studies Advisory Council at University of Nebraska Kearney (Fall 2017 - Fall 2018).
Secretary and Building Steward for University of Nebraska Kearney Educational Association (Fall 2017 - Fall 2018).
Member of Program Committee for the Association for Political Theory (2016 - 2017).
Member of Mentoring Committee and Mentor for the Association for Political Theory (2017 - Present).
Faculty sponsor for Locke and Key Society, the political science club at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (Fall 2016 - Fall 2018).
Professional memberships
American Political Science Association
Association for Political Theory
Southern Political Science Association
Western Political Science Association
Phi Sigma Alpha Honor Society
References
Available upon request