Mehr Latif
Biography
Mehr Latif is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security & Global Governance. Her research centers on understanding social transformation at the individual, group, and wider structural levels. She contributes to the study of radicalization in the United States, exploring cognitive and emotional theories to understand pathways into and out of white supremacy. Her research on micro dynamics of political participation provides insights into alternate public spheres, the development of state boundaries, and how people experience the state in South Asia. Finally, she has contributed to the study of social accountability frameworks and citizenship, and advises international development agencies on programs and interventions around the world. Prior to UMB, she was a Post-doctoral associate at the University of Pittsburgh, and before that worked for over a decade with international non-profits, principally The Asia Foundation.
Area of Expertise
Political sociology, radicalization, white supremacy, emotions, public sphere, citizenship, civic engagement, state formation, nonprofits, qualitative methods.
Degrees
- PhD, University of Pittsburgh, 2017
- MA, University of Pittsburgh, 2013
- MA, Johns Hopkins University, 2004
- BA, Grinnell College, 2000
Professional Publications & Contributions
Journal Articles
- Latif, Mehr, Pete Simi, Kathleen Blee, and Matthew DeMichele. 2023. “Intuitive Pathways to Racist Beliefs.” >Emotions and Society 5(3): 348-365.
- Latif, Mehr. 2022. “Negotiating the State: The Construction of Local-State Boundaries in Pakistan.” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society 36(4): 527-550.
- Latif, Mehr. 2022. “Performances and Politics in Pakistan: A Case-Study of a Micro Public Sphere.” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society 36: (99-117).
- Latif, Mehr, Kathleen Blee, Matthew DeMichele, and Pete Simi. 2020. “Do White Supremacist Women Adopt Movement Archetypes of Mother, Whore, and Fighter?” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 46(4): 415-432
- Latif, Mehr, Kathleen Blee, Matthew DeMichele, Pete Simi, and Shayna Alexander. 2019. “Why White Supremacist Women Become Disillusioned, and Why They Leave.” Sociological Quarterly 61(3): 367-388.
- Latif, Mehr, Kathleen Blee, Matthew DeMichele, and Pete Simi. 2018. “How Emotional Dynamics Maintain and Destroy White Supremacist Groups.” Humanities & Society 42(4): 480–501.
- Blee, Kathleen, Matthew DeMichele, Pete Simi, and Mehr Latif. 2017. “How Racial Violence is Provoked and Channeled.” Socio. 7: 257-276.
Book Reviews
- Latif, Mehr. 2022. Review of Grandmothers on Guard: Gender, Aging, and the Minutemen at the US-Mexico Border by Jennifer L. Johnson. Mobilization.
Book Chapters
- Blee, Kathleen and Mehr Latif. 2021. “The Sociology of the Far Right,” In Stephen Ashe, Joel Busher, Graham Macklin, and Aaron Winter (eds.), Researching the Far Right: Theory, Method and Practice. London: Routledge Series on Fascism and the Far Right.
- Blee, Kathleen and Mehr Latif. 2019. “Ku Klux Klan – Vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities.” In Tore Bjorgo, ed. Vigilantism Against Minorities & Migrants. London: Routledge.