Hi! I’m Joan!

I’m a political theorist who specializes in feminism. I received my PhD in Political Science in 2024 from Stanford University, and I’m currently an instructor at Harvard University teaching Social Studies.

I have two major projects (in addition to a quite sporadic blog). I’m currently working on a book entitled, “On Patriarchy: Origin Stories in Contemporary Feminist Thought.” In it, I explore the various ways that feminist thinkers have “diagnosed” the problem of patriarchy, using their stories of how we got to this point to better understand where they think we ought to go from here. The book covers a wide range of thinkers, from the 14th to the 21st centuries. You can read more about this project here, and find a copy of my “first draft” dissertation on Stanford’s website.

In addition to studying the history of feminism, I also work on the intersection of sexuality, technology, and the law. Recent work from this project has been published in Hypatia, and I’m working on some exciting papers regarding sexual autonomy and artificial intelligence. To learn more, visit my page on “Sex, Tech, and the Law”.

I love teaching, and have been lucky enough to be a graduate teaching assistant on a wide variety of courses, from Ethics for Activists to Justice to Citizenship. Most recently, I was a visiting faculty member at Deep Springs College, where I taught The Ethics of Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.

I also enjoy mentoring, so if you’re a former student looking to get in touch with me, please reach out!.