A little about me!
I am currently finishing my Ph.D. in Sociology at McMaster University. I completed my honours Undergraduate and Masters Degrees at the University of Western Ontario. My main sociological interests are the areas of the body, gender (focusing on masculinity), health and identity construction.
Right now, I’m particularly focused on how the body and one’s appearance influences one’s self-perception and self-identification. Overall, my research activities have tended to center on identity creation, maintenance and re-negotiation via illness, recovery processes and body modification. Throughout my studies, I have principally employed the theoretical frameworks of the interpretive paradigm and several strains of identity theory to my research and data collection. Substantively, I have examined the lived experiences of persons with HIV/AIDS in Ontario, and more recently men’s experiences with cosmetic surgery.
Also, I’ve been looking at the values held by individuals and how their influence one’s views on genetic testing, as well as student knowledge of wrongful convictions.