About Me

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky.

I am a sociologist who studies social ecology and works to create a more just future for rural communities.  I often work with people to counter pollution, consolidation, and inequality. I turn to theory and history to understand the larger structures that shape injustices.

Current Work

My book, For-Profit Democracy, documents the impact of profit motives on environmental problems and democracy in Burke County, Georgia, where two nuclear reactors are currently under construction.

I am currently researching how social action can be facilitated in rural America through various projects on water contamination, property rights, and absentee financial investment in land. My work aims to rework some of the rethinking the meaning of social action and community through pragmatic change-making.

Research Methods

Participant Ethnography

I learn about social ecology  by living in the place I am studying or working with those most impacted.

Interviews & Data

I spend a large amount of my time interviewing people in their communities and analyzing secondary data to tackle  absentee power over those communities.

History & Policy

I connect what I’ve observed and heard about with historical sources of information like land records, legal proceeding, and news reports.

Teaching

I have taught a variety of courses that relate to environmental sociology and political theory, such as

  • Public Sociology
  • Environmental Sociology
  • Environmental Justice
  • Community Organization
  • Classical Sociological Theory
  • American Political Theory and the Rise of Neoliberalism
  • Sociology of Development

Learn More

To learn more about me, visit the Recent Releases and Publications pages. You can also download my Curriculum Vitae.