Hi, I’m David!

I’m a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Bryn Mawr College. I am primarily a social movements scholar, with adjacent interests in the sociology of violence, peace studies, sociology of religion, and postcolonial sociology.

In my research, I use computational text analysis, GIS mapping, diffusion analysis, and ethnographic video analysis to understand how violence emerges, spreads, and can be transformed.

My pedagogy centers on active learning, dialogue across difference, and connecting research to real-world challenges. I want students to develop not just sociological knowledge, but transferable skills: critical reading, collaborative inquiry, and the ability to engage constructively with difficult topics.

I work with a small group of undergraduate research collaborators in a collective we refer to as the Dynamics of Aggression and Nonviolent Group Action Lab, or DANGA Lab (from दंगा, the Hindi word for riot).