Research

My research brings an affective rhetorical approach to mediated public engagement and intersectional identities. Currently, my focus is on the history of 911.

Most Recent Publication

In my most recent article, “Caucasity’s Affective Interia,” I turn to the viral case of “BBQ Becky,” one of the first in a string of white folks made infamous for their use of 911 to discipline co-present Black individuals. The phenomenon of “White Caller Crime” and “caucasity,” both coined by Black public intellectuals, become the site of extended public controversy from 2018 onward. BBQ Becky specifically offers a rich case study rooted in white supremacist ideologies of property that afford white women particular rhetorical maneuvers.

Caucasity represents a heightened version of the existing affective inertia that privileges whiteness at the expense of individuals racialized as Other.

Forwarding the concept of “affective interia” provides critics the language and means to name and interrogate how historically sedimented norms and ideologies can precipitate particular kinds of rhetorical in/action. Understanding affects, ideologies, and bodies as entities subject to the laws of motion, specifically inertia, forces attention to the connectedness of various forms of racial Othering.

downloadable here.

Current Research

I am currently working on a project that extends the history of 911 in communication. Looking at the second decade of 911’s implementation, I trace how the work of 911 operators were first constituted as feminine in public discourse. Ultimately, the gendered associations with telephonic technology and carework aided the femininization of the role.

I analyze newspaper articles throughout the decade to understand how women became the target hires for 911 operators. Men, but specifically uniformed police officers, were the intended laborers for 911 because of the technical nature of the work, but they did not demonstrate the necessary emotional intelligence to interact with the public in crisis. Civilians, particularly women, were brought in as the care work took precedence.

Previous research

I have had a consistent presence in national and regional conferences within the Communication discipline, including organizing timely panels for conferences. I have been awarded top paper at both regional and national conferences.

Even while non-tenure-track faculty, I have maintained a robust presence in the discipline where research is concerned. My work has appeared in top communication, rhetoric, and gender studies journals both domestic and international.