Summary
Owen Gunehame Fite is an instructor in the Political Science Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research explores questions of citizenship, identity, race, nationalism and performativity from the lens of political theory.
Fite’s current project, “Performative Citizenship and the Continuation of Ethnocentrism in Ethnoblind Citizenship”, conceptualizes citizenship as a disciplinary practice that is disproportionately enforced across different identities. By analyzing post-9/11 Islamaphobia, patterns of Asian American mental illness, mainstream presentations of DREAMers, and anti-democratic responses to the Black Lives Matter movement, he demonstrates how contemporary U.S. citizenship is contingent upon performative expectations of respectability.
Alongside his research, Fite aims to instill political interest and awareness amongst his student. His work predominantly draws on recent real-world case studies in an effort to make politics relatable and accessible to the everyday world. Through his teaching and his podcast, Poli Sigh, his goal is to enable more people to see their impact and role in politics.
Courses taught:
- Introduction to American Politics
- Introduction to Political Theory
- Identity Politics
- American Political Thought
Education
- Ph.D., Political Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2023
- M.A., Political Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2019
- B.A., Business (Global Politics), Arizona State University, 2017