Kurt Borchard

Kurt Borchard is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nebraska Kearney (UNK). His research spans critical criminology, qualitative methods, and experimental writing, with a focus on deconstructing positivist paradigms in social sciences. He teaches courses on sociological theory, criminology, and the Holocaust.

• Education: PhD (1998) and MA (1993) from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and University of Colorado respectively; BA (1990) from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
• Key Research Interests: Ethnography, Homelessness, Critical Media Studies, Criminology, and Holocaust Studies.

Borchard’s recent work employs conceptual writing to interrogate discursive constructions of categories like 'the criminal' and 'the girl of the period,' linking these to broader critiques of positivism and institutional legitimacy in criminology. His experimental approach combines artistic and academic methodologies, challenging traditional narrative forms.

His publications engage with interdisciplinary trends, including:

• Deconstructing historical criminological texts (Havelock Ellis) and their ideological underpinnings.
• Reproductive rights and post-Roe societal shifts.
• Autoethnographic reflections on pandemic-era communication.
• Critical analyses of racism, militarism, and environmental derailment.

Notable awards include multiple fellowships at Holocaust studies institutions and twice winning the UNK Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award. He has taught courses ranging from introductory sociology to specialized topics in criminology and Holocaust studies.