Stacey L. Hunt

Stacey L. Hunt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science within Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts. Her academic profile combines rigorous scholarship in comparative politics with dedicated teaching across undergraduate and graduate programs, focusing on Latin American political dynamics and methodological innovation.

Education:

• PhD, Rutgers University
• BA, Gustavus Adolphus College

Research Focus: Dr. Hunt's work critically examines urban planning and state capacity in Latin America through lenses of gender, violence, and citizenship. Her research demonstrates how weak states negotiate authority through cultural performances (e.g., beauty pageants, urban infrastructure) and citizen-state interactions, particularly in Colombian contexts. Recent scholarship expands into methodological ethics, addressing sexual harassment in field research and intellectual imperialism in populism studies.

Publication Trends: Her 15 most recent publications reveal an evolving trajectory from state-society relations in Colombia (2012-2017) toward broader critiques of political science methodologies (2020-2024). This includes pioneering work on emotional dimensions of political violence and systemic biases in comparative research frameworks.

Scientific Recognition:

• Fulbright Scholar
• American Association of University Women Fellow
• Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellow
• Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow

Academic Contributions: Dr. Hunt teaches core courses including Qualitative Research Methods, Comparative Public Policy, and Women and Global Politics. Her forthcoming book Beautiful States: Gender, Performance, and Nationalism in Colombia (NYU Press) synthesizes a decade of ethnographic work on aesthetic nationalism. She actively shapes disciplinary discourse through critical examinations of fieldwork ethics and epistemological frameworks in political science.