I’m Alana, a Ph.D Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Davis. My research uses theories of political economy, stratification, and organizations to study inequalities in the food system. My methods include ethnography, in-depth interviews, geo-spatial analysis, content analysis, and network analysis.
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My dissertation research explores food bank responses in the pandemic, examining their responses during an inflection point for food banking. I draw on in-depth interviews with food bank leaders and geospatial analysis of food bank resources.
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Amid the pandemic, food banks' role in the US social safety net has grown. Yet, their origin as a solution to food waste raises questions. Based on 52 interviews, this study identifies three food bank models for tackling food insecurity.
Exploring the emotionality and experiences of graduate students in public scholarship, this study, based on 31 interviews, reveals unique challenges. Scholars navigate power dynamics and emotional labor, often coming from the marginalized communities they study.
Applying food justice to the private food assistance network, this project examines access disparities in this alternative food system. Using regression analysis, it finds poverty, race, and urbanicity significantly associated with food bank accessibility in California.
