I am a comparative and historical sociologist in the subfields of economic and political sociology. My research deals with the economic history of American households, following how changes in property and mortgage law since the late 19th century not only created households as economic actors, but delineated the privileges, dependencies, and risk they experienced in relation to labor and financial markets. Theory features prominently in my research. I am particularly interested in how elaborating the intersection between social, legal, and democratic theory can re-energize our understanding of social and economic power. Before coming to Michigan, I received bachelors degrees in History and Political Economy at UC Berkeley. I grew up in the Southeastern corner of California, where the Colorado River meets the southern border wall.
Dylan Nelson
How is U.S. business evolving and what does that mean for people’s wellbeing and careers? How can we better represent the different sources of corporate power? Using administrative data on the U.S. economy over the past thirty years, my dissertation weaves together three corporate transformations: in governance and ownership, in the spatial distribution of industries and firms, and in the re-drawing of organizational boundaries. Along the way, I analyze how the occupational structure refracts these shifts. I hold a BA in Musicology from Brown University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and an MA in Applied Statistics from the University of Michigan. My other projects focus on estate taxation, the global cooperative movement, and the relationship between U.S. high-tech policy and the rise of venture capital.
Pinar Ustel
I am a graduate student in Social Work and Sociology. My research interests include social theories of time, and the temporalities of social service provision. I am currently developing a project about the proliferation of mental health knowledge into communities, and the mobilization of lay expertise. Before coming to Michigan, I received a BA in Sociology (Bogazici University) and an MA in Cultural Studies (Sabanci University) in Turkey. I also have an MSW degree from the University of Michigan.