I am a comparative historical, organizational, and labor sociologist, and a Postdoctoral Associate in the Work and Organization Studies Group at MIT Sloan. 

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My research uses comparative-historical and archival methods to understand labor, organizations, and social movements. My work examines questions such as how unions develop autonomy or become coopted, how hiring practices vary across jobs, and how colonial rule shapes unionization. My current book project on the Tunisian labor movement develops a theory of “participatory unionism,” explaining how decentralized and democratic forms of labor organization can persist even under authoritarian conditions. More broadly, my research contributes to organizational and political sociology by linking workplace dynamics to larger processes of state formation, empire, and inequality.

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You can reach me at kwilder4[at]mit.edu

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