Kaden Paulson Smith

Kaden Paulson Smith is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Crime & Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. They hold a PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in Government from Smith College. Their research focuses on critical carceral studies, African politics, and postcolonial frameworks, particularly examining colonial policing legacies in East Africa. Current projects include a book on the colonial origins of policing in Tanzania, drawing from anti-colonial resistance archives.

Teaching spans undergraduate courses on criminal justice systems, abolitionist frameworks, and global justice studies. Previously held faculty roles at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in Democracy & Justice Studies. Research has been supported by grants from the African Studies Program, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Scott Kloeck-Jenson Fellowship.

Publications appear in African Affairs, Small Wars & Insurgencies, and The Social Science Journal, analyzing themes like counterinsurgency tactics, constitutional reforms, and police legitimacy debates. Active in interdisciplinary collaborations bridging law, gender studies, and postcolonial theory.