Brandon Davis became interested in public policy and governance while working as a social worker in a therapeutic foster home. There, he constantly dealt with the “various layers of bureaucracy” in state and local government, driving his enthusiasm for political science. Davis returned to academia with an M.A. in Gender Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Alabama. His social work interests still shine through in his research, however—the intersection of law, race, ethnicity, and society remains Davis’ focus. In fact, Davis is very excited about a new publication, “Carceral Classrooms: Gendered Pathways into the Welfare State,” in which he and his coauthor “are expanding the school-to-prison pipeline hypotheses to include girls of color. We put forth a new argument, the school-to-dependency hypothesis, which will open up new avenues of research.” Look for the article in the upcoming months!
Right now, Davis is also in the midst of some fascinating fieldwork. He is conducting field interviews with members of the Alabama Democratic Conference. This project, entitled CAREER: We Dare Defend Our Rights: The Political Use of Law in the Enforcement of Voting Rights, is funded by a 5-year National Science Foundation Grant. It aims to understand how the Alabama Democratic Conference developed and sustained its renowned strategic capacity, and how it has capitalized on this statewide support to mobilize legal change for over twenty years. Ultimately, Davis hopes the project will “provide insights that can be adapted to fit the needs of rights advocacy groups across the United States and in other western-style democracies.”
Previously, Davis has worked for Brown University and the Kansas University School of Public Affairs and Administration. As a native of Daphne, Alabama, Davis says he is happy to be back in the South at Tulane. He’s had a great experience so far and has even picked up some local food cravings! He says Johnny’s oyster po boy is on his mind “all day, every day.” He also loves how New Orleanians call everyone ‘baby’—his 60-year-old car mechanic even called him baby! The Political Science department welcomes Davis and invites students to enroll in his classes next semester.