I am a student of social life. My academic training is in sociology, religious studies, feminism, and critical theory. These studies emerge from a lifelong interest in ideas and individuals that challenge the taken-for-granted world. I have always felt drawn toward the margins — whether it is the aesthetic intensity of heavy metal, the radical philosophy of Malcolm X, or the visionary worlds constructed by novelists like Margaret Atwood.

 

These intellectual and personal interests also inform my work. My research and teaching explore the accomplishment of identity at the intersection of language, power, and culture. I have studied a variety of empirical contexts, including: tattoo culture, punk/indie rock, transgressive TV, bar culture, trick-or-treating, and the supernatural.

 

I also like Seinfeld, bicycles, tiki bars, and outlaw country music. I live with my partner and two mongrels in California's Central Valley. I use he/him pronouns.