SCHOLARS@TAMU

Dr. Wolfe's research is centrally concerned with understanding how we can disagree with each other without being violently disagreeable. In pursuit of this goal, she has investigated how individuals use language to form collective identities with and against others, how leaders use narratives to mobilize those collectivities for action, and how processes of dialogue and deliberation can build bridges between oppositional stakeholders to facilitate the achievement of deeper shared understandings and more democratic public decisions. Her work has been published in journals such as Journal of Communication, Management Communication Quarterly, and Journal of Applied Communication Research. Her co-authored book, Sex and Stigma: Stories of Everyday Life in Nevada's Legal Brothels received the 2019 Book of the Year Award from the Critical Cultural Studies Division of the National Communication Association; Outstanding Book Award from the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender; and Honorable Mention for the Sarah A. Whaley Book Prize from the National Women's Studies Association. She is also a member of the planning team for the Aspen Conference, a community of engaged organizational communication scholars focused on developing practical theory and collaborative research that bridge academic-practitioner interests. Consistent with the commitments of engaged organizational communication research, much of Dr. Wolfe's current work is conducted in collaboration with community partners, especially local governments, to use communication theory in the service of addressing everyday problems of living in a pluralistic society.