We are excited to welcome Assistant Professor Abe Khan to the Department of Communication Studies. Khan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his tenure at the University of Arkansas. His primary research focuses on the rhetoric of sports in the United States and the intersection of racial politics and social movements.

Head shot of Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, Abe Khan.

Khan received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, where he honed his expertise in communication studies. His academic background and active involvement at various levels of university life have positioned him to make significant contributions to the field of rhetoric.

What drew you to Communication Studies?

I came to communication studies quite by accident. Majoring in philosophy at Florida State University, I realized the social and political theory I was interested in was not taken seriously by most North American philosophers. My experience with competitive debate led me to pursue an MA while planning for law school. Two formative experiences during my MA changed my path: I discovered rhetoric scholars were asking the interesting questions I hoped philosophers would, and a course focused on Malcolm X kindled my interest in racial politics in the United States. You could say I bring a critical spirit to all the work I do. Maybe it’s the old debater in me, but I often find intellectual joy in zigging while others zag, enjoying counter-intuitive arguments even if they don’t always fit.

What attracted you to the Department of Communication Studies at CSU?

I was attracted to the strength of the faculty and the opportunity to make an impression on a young, dynamic doctoral program. CSU struck me as an exciting place to be, filled with possibility. The job call itself was heartening – hiring in rhetoric and race showed the department’s commitment to these areas. I saw an opportunity to fill a gap while complementing the existing strengths of the rhetoric faculty. I also have a loved one in Denver and was drawn to both the political values of Colorado and the natural beauty of the mountains.

What is your current research on?

My research focuses on what I call the ‘renaissance of the activist athlete,’ a movement echoing the 1960s that now frames athletes, including college athletes, as workers. This research introduces sport into a field whose traditions mostly rest on the speeches of “long dead white guys,” arguing that athletes who leverage their status as workers can often accomplish much more than all the “speaking out” in the world can.

How do you envision interdisciplinary collaboration at CSU?

My research area is fundamentally interdisciplinary. The work I do borrows from fields as diverse as sports sociology, history, kinesiology, and even sports management. When it comes to race, the work I do also borrows from fields like comparative literature and philosophy.

Simply put, I cannot do what I do without an interdisciplinary sensibility.  CSU offers an MSM in Sports Management, and though I don’t know those colleagues yet, I hope to get to know and learn from them soon.

If I had to guess, there’s at least one or two sports historians around here. They’re the people that legacy media outlets like ESPN tend to call when they’re looking for insight into race politics. I’m hoping to do the work that will get ESPN to call the rhetoricians and communication scholars!

How do you like to spend your free time?

Unsurprisingly, I like to watch a lot of sports on television. I’m originally from Chicago, so I will spend Fall Sundays watching the Bears and tending to my inevitable wounds. I’m also a closet car enthusiast who loves to road trip. Dog in the back seat, podcasts rolling, open road. That’s perfection to me. It does make me a fan of Formula 1 racing, too.

Dr. Sherlock, a brown and white Boston Terrier, is Assistant Professor Abe Khan's dog and companion.

I’m torn on college sports because despite their undeniable excitement, I think college athletes are, generally speaking, horribly exploited.  Nonetheless, I find myself living and dying every Saturday when Florida State plays football. I think of myself as a bit of an “indoor cat,” but Colorado’s mountains can certainly change my mind about that.

Apart from sports, I spend as much time as I can with my dog, a 12-year-old Boston Terrier named Dr. Watson (I’m also a big Sherlock Holmes fan). Watson and I have been together since he was 10 weeks old. Now that he’s older and a little bit cantankerous, he’s less of a pet than an irresponsible roommate!

Finally, I love to cook. I make myself an elaborate dinner nearly every night and there literally isn’t a way to cook a potato that I haven’t tried.