Broadly, my questions focus on the dynamics of recognition and belonging in contexts of protracted displacement. I am particularly interested in how the recognition of shared internal markers of selfhood—such as dreams, aspirations, and vulnerabilities—can emerge through relational encounters between individuals with distinct traditional identities. Such encounters, I suggest, hold the potential to cultivate forms of belonging that transcend conventional in-group boundaries. More specifically, my inquiry focuses on two relatively understudied phenomena: (1) relational forms of recognition, as distinct from political or institutional modes, and (2) the forms of belonging that arise through relational processes of meaning-making, particularly those grounded in shared affective experiences and commonality.

I am drawn to epistemological approaches that integrate theoretical frameworks with lived experience, promote collaborative inquiry, and move beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. My research interests include relational forms of recognition and belonging, with particular attention to their intersections with liminality, displacement, diaspora, meaning-making, aspirations, communal imagination, intersubjectivity, and aesthetics.