Dr. David Zeglen

Biography

David Zeglen is a lecturer in the International Comparative Studies program at the University of Michigan's LSA International Institute. His research interests are broadly situated at the intersection of cultural theory, international relations, and global political economy. Zeglen's work explores how social constructs of time, space, identity, and the sites of domination and resistance within the international realm are shaped from a historical materialist perspective. Currently, he is focused on several projects, one of which investigates the production modes that involve ideologies and temporal structures particularly around the bourgeois revolutions of Western Europe in the 17th to 19th centuries. His research critiques dominant understandings of capitalist time as informed by temporal ideology, mediated by nationalist discourses. Additionally, Zeglen is examining collective action problems posed by the global climate crisis, probing the political possibilities and limitations of temporality in utopian thinking among various political movements aimed at confronting catastrophic climate change. Prior to his academic career, he has contributed significantly to various national and international non-profit organizations, including work with the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and Project Hope in Palestine, among others.

Research Interests