Associate Professor of Sociology

I am an Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University, where I conduct research and teach both undergraduate and graduate courses. 

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Broadly, my research investigates how cultural politics intersect with processes of capitalism in ways that can produce and naturalize social inequalities and environmental change. I draw on an interdisciplinary background in environmental sociology, political ecology, human geography, development studies, and science studies. Across my projects, I use ethnographic and qualitative methods to think about the interface of political economy, culture, and contestations over knowledge.

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My forthcoming book The Upright Farmer examines how processes of agricultural modernization in Burkina Faso have been shaped by historical and contemporary dynamics of racial capitalism. The book is based on my research on cotton production in Burkina Faso and will be released with Duke University Press in 2026. I have also studied embodied status politics among white runners in Boulder, Colorado and representations of Africans at Western zoos. I am currently looking to begin new research on the dilemmas of sustainable agriculture and pesticide use in Côte d'Ivoire.

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At CSU, I have been recognized for impactful teaching. I was awarded the Provost's Teaching Scholar in 2024, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts in 2023.

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In 2024, I joined as an editor at the Journal of Agrarian Change, a leading journal of rural change and agrarian political economy. 

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Before joining CSU, I completed a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Masters degree in “Global Ecology and Sustainable Development” from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland. I also lived in Europe for several years and worked as a bicycle tour guide in France. Before that, I served as an agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa, where I became passionate about the complex puzzles of sustainability, development, and global inequality. I speak French and Bambara/Dioula.