Human RIGHTS AND SECURITY
My research examines the capacity of human rights and humanitarian norms to shape controversial state practices during national security crises and armed conflicts and the reciprocal impact of state violence on the rule of law.
WOMEN’S AND SOGI RIGHTS
I examine the growing backlash against women’s and sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) rights in global politics, with particular attention to the status of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SHRH). I also research activist efforts to promote international women’s rights norms through local political initiatives and the role of cities in advancing gender equity.
PANDEMIC POLITICS
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated vitriolic debates over the appropriate balance between public health mandates and civil liberties. My NSF-funded research analyzes public perceptions of health-rights tradeoffs as well as determinants of vaccine hesitancy, the dynamics of blame attribution, and emergent forms of anti-vax fringe fluidity. Additional research examines the securitization of health and implications for asylum policy.