I’m a sociologist, sociolegal scholar and professor of Legal Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst. I study how law, culture and social institutions contribute to structural violence and inequality, both within and across borders.
My current book project is tentatively titled From the UN to Cambodia: The Rise of International Human Trafficking Law and its Uneven Outcomes for Marginalized Populations. In the book, I consider why the issue of human trafficking recently gained such wide international attention when the issue is not in fact new, and how its legal framing as a type of crime – rather than a human rights violation or other type of problem – has shaped its outcomes on the ground.
I have a Ph.D. in Sociology from University of California Irvine, and additional degrees in Anthropology, Social Science, and Gender Studies. In addition to my academic expertise, I bring a former practitioner’s perspective to my work, having worked for over a decade with NGOs focused on trafficking, migration and child exploitation in Cambodia, Brazil, and the United States.
My research on human trafficking, migration and victim narratives is published in journals such as Law & Policy, Mobilization, and Dignity, and supported by institutions such as the National Science Foundation and Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley. To support community-oriented work, I serve on the Board of Directors at two non-profit organizations.