I work in areas of feminist, political, and cultural geography and qualitative methods. I am broadly interested in research topics related to state-society relations, development-security relations, nationalism, ethnicity and gender, religion, migration, and the Middle East. My research projects to date include:
Since 2005, I have conducted research in Kurdish Turkey to understand the relationship between gendered development and security. Specifically, I examine how socio-economic and gendered development initiatives create ideas of political and national belonging, reconfigure family and community relationships, and impact the daily security/insecurity of Kurdish women.
Since 2013, in collaboration with a colleague, I have examined the religious identities and practices of Kurdish women in migrant neighborhoods in urban Kurdish Turkey.
Since 2017, in collaboration with a colleague, I have examined the experiences of first time refugee reception communities in the U.S. and the role of faith communities and inter-faith organization in resettlement efforts.
Finally, I have been involved with student-led research on housing and homelessness in Reno.
