Sarah Burgess

Sarah Burgess is a Professor in Communication Studies, Gender and Sexualities Studies, and Critical Diversity Studies at the University of San Francisco. Her research examines the rhetorical contours of recognition in legal, political, and philosophical contexts, focusing on justice and ethical frameworks. She has published extensively on topics such as legal sovereignty, gendered subjectivity, and the intersections of rhetoric with continental philosophy.

Education:

• PhD/MA in Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley
• MA/BA in Communication Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Her research interests include rhetorical theory, continental philosophy, legal theory, and gender and sexualities studies. She explores how recognition operates in legal and political discourse, often addressing ethical dilemmas in human rights, carceral systems, and medical-legal policies. Her recent book project, Making a Scene: Scandals of Legal Recognition, critiques the rhetorical foundations of legal recognition demands.

Publications Trends: Her work spans interdisciplinary analysis of legal rhetoric, gender studies, and ethical theory, with a focus on marginalized subjects and systemic power structures. Recent articles address topics like carceral biocitizenship, forensic psychiatry, and queer legal frameworks.

Awards:

• USF Gender Justice Award (2012)
• Law, Culture, and the Humanities Junior Scholar Award (2008)

Her scholarship engages with Foucault, critical legal studies, and queer theory to challenge normative frameworks of recognition. While no lab affiliations are explicitly noted, her work intersects with interdisciplinary teams in law, philosophy, and gender studies.