Brian O’Neill’s research explores the relations of society to nature, using theories and methods from environmental sociology and political ecology. The bulk of his attention has recently been devoted to the market for desalination (turning the ocean into drinking water). He often uses water as a material conduit towards tracing political and economic capital flows, unpacking emergent manifestations of social power and environmental (in)justices. Brian has been involved in the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory since 2016, publishing a review in the Unit’s blog Kritik, as well as the Journal of World-Systems Research, The Sociological Quarterly, and International Sociology.

See more Graduate Student Spotlights.