Biography
Moira O’Shea is a cultural and historical sociologist whose research focuses on how and when particular versions of history are deployed and contested in the public sphere. Much of her work is concerned with the production, destruction, and understanding of national symbols, such as monuments and national sports, in the United States, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan, where she spent a year and a half conducting research for her dissertation. Her scholarship has appeared in publications such as Nations and Nationalism, Ideology-Theory-Practice, ASAP/Journal, and Public Books. She completed her PhD at University of Chicago in Sociology in 2022 and was a Teaching Fellow in Sociology and the College from 2022-2024. She joined the Basic Program in 2025.