Professor Dr. Michael Mccann

Biography

Michael McCann is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington, where he holds the Gordon Hirabayashi Professorship for the Advancement of Citizenship. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983. His research primarily focuses on politics and rights-based struggles for social justice, with particular attention to the challenges posed by race, gender, and class hierarchies. McCann is an important figure in the interpretive turn in scholarly analysis of legal discourse as it relates to power dynamics. He has authored sixty article-length publications and has contributed to eight books as an author, co-author, editor, or co-editor. Notable works include 'Rights Work: Pay Equity Reform Politics and Legal Mobilization' and 'Distorting Law: Politics, Media, and Litigation in a Crisis.' His current research includes a book on the history of struggles for socioeconomic rights among Filipino immigrant workers in the western United States. McCann's accomplishments include a Guggenheim Fellowship, various National Science Foundation research grants, and being elected as president of the U.S.-based International Law Society Association (2011-2013). He has received multiple teaching awards and is an original member of the Steering Committee for the UW Center for Human Rights.

Research Interests