Research
The headings for each area are only a partial listing of our faculty members' research interests. Explore their individual faculty pages for additional information.
Philosophy, Race Theory, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Mary Bloodsworth-Lugo's research includes theories of race/racism and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, embodiment/theories of the body, popular culture, film, critical pedagogy, and contemporary continental political philosophy.
Contemporary Indigenous Issues
Kim Christen's research focuses on contemporary indigenous alliance-making globally, but with specific attention to Australia. Her academic research focuses on the intersection of digital technologies, museum spaces, intellectual property rights, and cultural heritage movements within indigenous communities and the global commons. She is currently designing the Plateau Peoples' Web Portal and digital archive in conjunction with the Umatilla, Coeur d'Alene, and Yakama tribes, the WSU Plateau Center for American Indian Studies, and WSU Libraries.
Popular Culture, Literature & Performativity
Lisa Guerrero's research interests include African American cultural movements, African American masculinity, race and popular culture, gender and sexuality, ethnic American literature and memoir, theories and literatures of the African diaspora, and racial identity formation in the U.S. She is especially interested in the performative nature of racial, national, and gender identities, the reproduction of hegemonies within racial protest movements, and the uses of satire and irony in literature and popular culture.
Race, Power & Culture
Through his research, Rich King examines the racial politics of culture, addressing such subjects as the ongoing controversy over Native American mascots; popular depictions of racialized groups in movies, museums, and the media; political struggles over representation, naming, and history; race and sports, particularly the significance of athletics in Native America, and the social construction of racial groups and ethnic identities.
Media Culture, Critical Sports Studies, Popular Culture & Representation
David Leonard's research interests include race and the NBA; critical sports studies; the prison industrial complex; racial discourse, race, nation, and video games; hip-hop; and white nationalists and media culture.
Puerto Rican Studies, Latina Feminism, Race & Popular Culture
Carmen Lugo-Lugo's research interests include Puerto Rican studies, Latina feminism in the U.S., feminist theory, and issues of colonialism/imperialism, race and popular culture, race relations, and economic inequality.
Ethnic Studies, Cultural Studies, Rhetoric & Discourse Theory
Rory Ong's research interests include Asian American autobiography, Asian American literature, Asian Americans and popular culture, model minority discourse, transnational adoption, critical theory, classical Greek rhetoric, the early sophists, and enlightenment rhetoric.
Racism & Social Justice
John Streamas' research interests include racism, poverty, narrative, time and space, and social justice.
Knowing who you are
Recognizing others
Crossing boundaries
Conversing with the world
Thinking Critically