My dissertation work examines how historical state violence shapes conspiratorial thinking among marginalized communities in the United States and its territories. Using survey experiments, my work shows how communities with a longer, more intimate history of state-inflicted harm develop forms of political suspicion that are adaptive in contexts where institutions have failed them. Broadly, my research agenda connects political psychology, race and ethnic politics, and colonial studies to illuminate how collective memory and lived experience shape political behavior, particularly engagement with conspiratorial thinking. 

You can find a concise summary of the project using Michigan Metro Areas Study data in the policy brief I co-authored with Dr. Mara Ostfeld. 

I was also featured on the Center for Political Studies Blog discussing this research. Read the post by clicking the button bellow.