My Research

Indigenous Politics

My research centers Indigenous peoples in politics as active political actors looking to advance their inherent rights to sovereignty, self-governance and autonomy. I focus on how these inherent rights affect outcomes for Indigenous peoples and how colonial institutions continue to limit Indigenous peoples’ rights and perpetuate social inequalities.

I also study the diverse ways that Indigenous peoples politically mobilize to push for social change. This includes the study of Indigenous political participation, civic engagement and representation.

Public Opinion

I use public opinion data to study the attitudes and behaviors of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and Latin America. Some of my current projects focus on documenting and explaining the high rates of Indigenous political participation across Latin America and understanding the anchors of partisanship among Indigenous peoples in Latin America.

I am also currently working on a number of projects focused on Native American political participation and representation.

Finally, I also study the attitudes and opinions that non-Native Americans (settlers) have about Native American issues. This includes understanding the role of Indigenous resentment in American politics and its role in shaping public opinion and attitudes about Native Americans.

Pathologies of Philanthropy

I have ongoing research projects focused on philanthropy and its role in perpetuating inequalities for historically excluded and marginalized communities. There is broad agreement that philanthropy can play an important role in supporting social movements and grassroots community organizations. But in the case of Native American communities, philanthropy provides minimal support for these communities. I am working to better understand the motivations and mechanisms that continue to marginalize the most vulnerable groups that should actually benefit from philanthropic support in the U.S. and beyond.

I am also collecting original data for a project examining the philanthropic response to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. Existing research tells us that philanthropy can use its resources to capture and co-opt movements by altering their agendas. I am examining statements of philanthropy after the tragic murder of George Floyd to understand the language of philanthropic response and factors correlated with racial equity giving.