I study the ways that place affects the performance of gender and sexuality. In my Master’s thesis I studied how the Globe Theatre in London leveraged its historical and cultural weight to influence not only the way we think about Shakespeare, but about gender roles and racial stereotypes. Continuing in this vein, my dissertation study analyzes the way the cosplay, or costume play, allows for individuals to explore their own gender identity, experiment with non-heterosexual behaviors, and challenge colonial racial stereotypes. My area of study is the Yamacon Anime Convention in Pigeon Forge Tennessee, although my research touches on other local conventions and fairs.

PUBLICATIONS

Art As Talking Back: Louise Jefferson’s Life and Legacy of Counter-Mapping

Feminist Geography Unbound: Discomfort, Bodies, and Prefigured Futures