Danielle Kutner

Background

About Danielle Kutner

I am a Massachusetts-based scholar whose research is grounded in social and political philosophy, German critical theory, and aesthetics. A central question of my research is how individuals and communities come to interpret their experience of the world and their place(s) in it and how this process of interpretation can inhibit or act as an impetus for social transformation. My primary research interests include theories of ideology, socio-political dimensions of knowledge, and the role of aesthetics as a form of socio-political critique. Given the nature of my research, I am deeply committed to a socially engaged form of education that extends beyond the classroom and allows students to respond to ever-changing needs of their communities. Prior to joining UAW Local 2322 as a union representative, I served as the community life department coordinator and co-chair of the staff union at Goddard College. Prior to that, I worked as a researcher and co-coordinator for the Ralph Ellison Oral History Project from 2013-2015, where I developed archival materials in conjunction with the Oklahoma History Center to further public knowledge about author Ralph Ellison in Oklahoma. I also served as the director’s assistant to The Red Earth Low-Residency MFA Program at Oklahoma City University 2010-2015, where I assisted a diverse group of students and faculty throughout the year. Most recently, I worked as a contract copy editor and graduate teaching assistant in the philosophy department at Villanova University. As of 2024, I am in the process of completing my dissertation at Villanova University. I currently reside in Massachusetts and enjoy creating collaborative mixed-media artwork, facilitating community resource workshops, and hiking in my free time.