Meet Assistant Professor of Instruction Abigail Barefoot of the Center for Legal Studies

Weinberg College welcomes Assistant Professor of Instruction Abigail Barefoot to the Center for Legal Studies!

Barefoot recently answered a few questions about her area of study, her background, and her current work. Barefoot’s current book project Beyond Carceral Responses: Transformative Justice, Prison Abolition, and the Movement to End Sexual Violence examines transformative justice practices for sexual violence.

Where are you from? Where did you study?
I’ve lived most of my life in the Midwest and haven’t regretted it. I grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, and got my bachelor’s degree at Iowa State University. I then went up north to Minnesota State University, Mankato where I completed my MA. I then returned to the Midwest to do my Ph.D. at the University of Kansas in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a concentration in Sociology.

Please describe your research.
My research examines alternatives to using carceral feminist frameworks to address social problems. My work draws upon critical carceral studies and prison abolition and I am particularly interested in how communities work to achieve justice, safety, and accountability without relying on the criminal legal system.

What are you working on right now that excites you the most?
I am currently working on my first book manuscript, Beyond Carceral Responses: Transformative Justice, Prison Abolition, and the Movement to End Sexual Violence, based on 18 months of participant observation at a transformative justice program in California. The project explores the tensions, contradictions, and possibilities of using transformative justice for sexual violence as experienced by survivors, facilitators of the program, and people who caused harm. Currently, there is a lot of new scholarship on prison abolition feminism and increased visibility of abolition activism, so it is an exciting and meaningful time to be working on this project.

What is most fulfilling to you about teaching?
Teaching is the most rewarding part of my job, and I feel most energized when I am working with students. I love the feeling of leaving the classroom after a good class discussion. It is a really fulfilling experience to see learning happening in real-time as students not only engage with the material but also grapple with ideas, critique, and draw connections with their classmates. Often, these discussions offer new perspectives that help me become a better teacher and scholar.

How do you enjoy spending your free time?
I enjoy listening to fiction and non-fiction audiobooks while knitting. If you see me sporting a fuzzy sweater or scarf around campus, I probably made it! I also spend a lot of time baking desserts–usually as a form of writing procrastination.

What’s a fun fact that you want to share with the Northwestern community?
Even though my last name is Barefoot (and yes, I have heard every possible joke related to my last name) I actually hate being barefoot. I actually have quite the collection of silly and colorful socks–some of which I have hand knitted!