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My research interests involve connecting the history of philosophy, especially Hegel, with contemporary ethical and political theory. To bridge these two spheres, I focus on the concept of "practical identity," a term used to describe the commitments we make that inform our ethical lives. I am especially interested in the ethical nature of our inherited commitments, including family relations, nationality, and race. I have for instance used Hegel's philosophy to consider the meaning of patriotism as a component of practical identity both historically and in contemporary society. In my current manuscript project, I am exploring what Hegel's theory of aesthetics can teach us about agency and practical identity. In future work, I hope to consider whether being human--with all its attendant imperfections--itself becomes a commitment in the face of the possibilities of genetic enhancement.

“Bodily Betrayals: Race and Practical Identity in Philip Roth’s The Human Stain.” Expositions: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities 2, no. 2 (2008): 189-209.

“Commitments of a Divided Self: Narratives, Change, and Autonomy in Korsgaard’s Ethics.” European Journal of Analytic Philosophy 4, no. 1 (2008): 27-46.

“History and Patriotism in Hegel’s Rechtsphilosophie.” History of Political Thought 28, no. 3 (Nov 2007): 496-519.

“Moral Integrity and Regret in Nursing.” In The Complexities of Care: Nursing Reconsidered. Edited by Suzanne Gordon and Sioban Nelson. Cornell: Cornell University Press, 2006.

“Patrioten für Europa.” Handelsblatt December 13, 2005 (Number 241).

“Krankenhäuser, Feuerwehren, Kosmopoliten: Wie der Patriotismus unter die Räder kam.” (“Hospitals, Fire Brigades, and Cosmopolitans: How Patriotism Came to Grief”) Tagesspiegel Berlin October 2, 2005 (Number 18 973).

“Inheriting, Earning and Owning: The Source of Practical Identity in Hegel’s ‘Anthropology’.” The Owl of Minerva (Journal of the Hegel Society of America) 34, no. 2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 139-170.

“Fight, Flight or Respect? First Encounters of the Other in Kant and Hegel.” History of Philosophy Quarterly 19, no. 4 (October 2002): 381-400.