CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Will is pursuing a PhD in cultural anthropology. He focuses on legal pluralism, sovereignty, autonomy, and urban ethnography in Mexico. He is conducting his dissertation fieldwork in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. He also works in northern Mexico with the Tohono O’odham, addressing similar issues in a more rural context. His current project addresses questions of hyper-local autonomy and the negotiated state through the lens of policing and security in the city.
Will earned a B.A. in History with a Spanish minor from Virginia Wesleyan College in 2006. He received a M.A. from George Mason University in International Commerce and Policy in 2008. In 2011, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He practiced law for eight years before coming to UW – Madison. His legal practice began in Alaska, where he worked with Alaska Native Corporations and other business entities. For three years he worked at Wisconsin Judicare, providing legal services to victims of sexual assault. He has appeared in state, federal, and tribal courts. He remains a licensed attorney in Alaska (Inactive Emeritus).