The Political Economy of Policing. Commenced in January of 2024, the project aims to situate policing in the United States from the perspective political economy, i.e., as a phenomenon whose economic components (spending/budgeting, misconduct settlements, and so forth) must be seen in the context of broader political currents. Phase 1 of the project will aim to compile comprehensive, aggregate, and national data around police misconduct payouts in the United States. Additional phases will include theoretical work and policy recommendations around this data. [Track: Critical Theory]
Antisemitism and Logics of Exclusion. Antisemitism is in the news again, but antisemitism has a long history, both in the United States and in the (history of) Western world; relatedly, it is an evolving phenomenon, in the present moment–for better and for worse, and in ways open to significant disagreement–related on one hand, to current geopolitical events and, on the other hand, to other systems and logics of oppression (most notably anti-Black racism and Islamophobia). This project aims to make interventions into public understandings of notions of antisemitism and academic discourses around antisemitism. The first phase of the project will involve compiling pilate qualitative data on student perceptions of antisemitism on campus and on perceptions of antisemitism on campus in the broader Charlotte community. Additional phases may include public programming, community engagement, and theory building. Commencing Spring 2025. [Track: Critical Theory]
Writing as a Spiritual Practice. This project aims to explore writing as a spiritual practice, where that term is understood in the sense in which, Pierre Hadot, the scholar of ancient philosophy used it: a practice or concept capable of changing and/or transforming the self (it is not thereby exclusively linked to religion or spirituality as it is commonly understood). The first phase of this project will consist in writing workshops with experts. Later phases may include extended reading and writing groups and other public events. Commencing in Spring of 2025 or Fall of 2025. [Track: Philosophy]