I am an assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University. My research is theoretically motivated by questions surrounding the assignment and consequences of cultural classifications. This focus is reflected in my research on legitimacy, which examines how legitimacy and illegitimacy are evaluated (also here) established (also here), and invoked, and how these classifications affect socially significant outcomes (for example, see here).

I explore these questions through the study of contentious politics, and within this context I am engaged in substantive research spanning sociology, international studies, and political science. For example, I have published research examining why armed conflicts recur, the social and contextual factors that influence counter-state organizations’ behaviors (also here), and the unintended consequences of legal activism. One of my current projects examines the social construction of "terrorism" using newly collected data on media coverage of 1,229 violent organizations from 1970 to 2013. Another current project builds on my research on ethnic conflict in Turkey (see also here) to examine how political ideologies influence ethnic mobilization in Turkey.

I use a variety of methods in my work, including historical research, comparative analysis, quantitative network analysis, and statistical analysis, and I am interested in multi- and mixed-methods approaches to social research. These interests motivate several veins of methodological research that I am currently engaged in (representative publications are available here).

Please feel free to contact me for information about my current projects or classes.