My research is on political and cultural geographies at the local and micro scales.
It
may also be framed as urban and health geographies. Drawing on, and speaking
to political theory, I am particularly interested in geographies of sexuality
and the body.
Currently with Larry Knopp and
the Northwest
Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project I am
working on action research that maps and disseminates recent historical
geographies of queer politics and culture in 20th Century Seattle, Washington.
Our immediate focus is on governmentality and urban biopolitics of 'the homosexual body' in post-war Seattle. Here we are exploring issues such as venereal-disease control, sodomy laws, liquor-control board enforcement, and regulations of public-sex zones.
With Claire Rasmussen (Political Science, University of Delaware), I have explored the relation between geography and political theory. For example, we illustrated the spatial and natural assumptions in the metaphor of “The Body Politic” in modern political theory.
Previously, Larry Knopp , Dick Morrill and I have used mixed-methods to explore electoral geographies. We have also looked at other Northwest topics, including the culture wars and the politics of sexuality in Tacoma, Washington; and the possibilities for the inclusion of cultural theory and geography into the analysis of American electoral geography.
Earlier in my career I researched the complex geographies around the home when terminal care for the dying is situated there. I have also argued for the materialization of the spatial metaphor of “the closet,” at a variety of spatial scales, and its implications for queer theory. My early work dealt with radical democracy and new spaces of political activism (citizenship) around the local responses to AIDS in Vancouver, Canada.
Please see the Books and Articles links for
links to
specific publications.