My research focuses on church asylum (Kirchenasyl) for rejected asylum-seekers in Germany with specific attention to the relationship between Christianity and citizenship. I am interested in how Christian sanctuary, which offers a form of shelter from the state, becomes a mechanism through which rejected asylum-seekers gain legibility as subjects worthy of legal recognition and political belonging.

Prior to my doctoral work, I received a B.A. in Politics from Willamette University and a M.T.S. in Philosophy of Religion from Harvard Divinity School as a Dean’s Fellow. I have also worked at the American University in Cairo as well as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

I am a Graduate Coordinator for Concerning Violence: A Collaborative Research Group (sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center and the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages). Our annual theme is “Afterlives of Violence: Coloniality and Racial Capitalism in Global Perspective.” If you would like to learn more about this group or be added to our email list, please do not hesitate to contact me.