Dr. Be Stone, assistant professor of political science at Rhodes College, has received the Stephen E. Bronner Dissertation Award, which is presented annually by the Critical Political Science Caucus of the American Political Science Association (APSA). Stone received a Ph.D. in political science from The City University of New York in 2023, and their dissertation is titled “Addiction” in U.S. Political Culture.
The award recently was presented at APSA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.
According to the award committee citation, “Be Stone, in their dissertation entitled ‘Addiction’ in U.S. Political Culture, provides a thoughtful and provocative analysis of addiction as it is deployed in American politics. In this important work, Stone examines the term ‘addiction’ by using ordinary language analysis to trace the term’s political development and use within public policy . . . Stone shows how policy discussions around ‘addiction’ rely upon unquestioned assumptions about individual independence and self-preservation, which of course come with racialized, gendered, and class-specific implications. In all, Stone’s work is critically oriented, interesting, theoretically grounded, and a tight fit with the purpose of the Bronner Award. Their combination of innovative political methodology – in the form of ordinary language analysis of public policy – combined with a concrete disruption of the discourse on addiction serves as a significant contribution toward a more egalitarian and democratic society.”
At Rhodes, Stone teaches courses in American politics, public policy, and qualitative-interpretive research methods.