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2024 ARPC Faculty Research Collaboratory: Abolition Everywhere

The Antiracist Research & Policy Center is excited to announce the launch of its 2024 faculty research collaboratory, “Abolition Everywhere.” This interdisciplinary research cluster brings AU scholars ofpolicing and the carceral state together with AU scholars deploying abolitionist frameworks to stage critical interventions on a range of racial justice issues, including education, climate justice, urbangentrification, and reproductive justice. Their collaboration will be guided by two related questions: 

  1. The insights, principles, and practices of 20th and 21st century abolition have become critical tools for scholars and organizers in diverse areas of racial, gender, and economic justice work—from education to agriculture, reproductive politics, to the environment. How do these multi-sited and multidisciplinary models of abolition enrich, challenge, and inform each other? What generative possibilities for study and practice emerge when we probe the connections and the disconnections among these contemporary abolitionist frameworks and movements?
  2. Abolitionist practice is not just about the critical undoing of state monopolies on power, violence, and discipline; more significantly, it is about creating modes of freedom and systems of shared accountability that supplant dominant state systems of control. Given this, what does it mean to approach ostensibly reform-based scholarship and advocacy through the lens of abolition? How might policy intervention, curricular change, or legal advocacy be envisioned as forms of abolitionist practice?   

Arts and Literature

Mali Collins Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Mali Collins’ research areas include Black motherhood studies, Black archival studies, 20th and 21st century literature and art, medical humanities, digital technology, and reproductive health and jus

  malic@american.edu

Kyle Dargan Associate Professor CAS | Literature

Kyle Dargan is currently an Associate Professor of literature and Asst. Director of creative writing at American University, as well as the founder and editor of POST NO ILLS magazine. He also works a

  kd6017a@american.edu

  (202) 885-2933

Omi Davis-Smith Assistant Professor CAS | Performing Arts

A multifaceted artist-scholar, Dr. Omilade Davis-Smith has worked the majority of her life as a dancer, educator and performer. Omi earned a PhD in Dance from Temple University with a specialization i

  odavissm@american.edu

Tim Doud Professor CAS | Art

Tim Doud’s paintings and drawings address two seemingly distinct bodies of work, one figurative and one abstract. These bodies of works serve as a backdrop to broader discussions around constructed id

  tdoud@american.edu

  (202) 885-3992

Nika Elder Associate Professor CAS | Art

Nika Elder specializes in North American art from the colonial period to the present, including African-American art and the history of photography. Her current research and courses examine the mutual

  nelder@american.edu

  (202) 885-1465

Neisha-Anne Green Senior Director, Academic Support UEAS | Academic Support

Academic Interests: Social Justice Pedagogy, Writing Center Theory and Practice, Writing Center Tutor EducationWhat began as volunteer work has blossomed into passion for Neisha-Anne. Outside of her g

  ngreen@american.edu

  (202) 885-6574

Keith Leonard Associate Professor CAS | Literature

Keith D Leonard is the author of Fettered Genius: The African American Bardic Poet from Slavery to Civil Rights. His publications, presentations, and courses have revolved around his study of

  kdl@american.edu

  (202) 885-2961

Juliana Martinez Associate Professor CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Professor Martínez focuses on the intersection of violence and body politics in Latin America. Her two main areas of research are: representation of historical violence recent cultural production; and

  jmartinez@american.edu

  (202) 885-2586

Dolen Perkins-Valdez Associate Professor CAS | Literature

Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the New York Times bestselling author of two novels: Wench and Balm. *USA Today* called Wench "deeply moving" and "beautifully written." *People* called it "a devastatingly bea

  perkinsv@american.edu

  (202) 885-2978

Suzanne Persard Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Suzanne C. Persard (PhD, Emory University) is Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Department of Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies at American University, Facult

  persard@american.edu

Sybil Roberts Director of African American and African Diaspora Studies CAS | Performing Arts

Sybil R. Williams has spent the past twelve years cultivating her craft as a playwright and dramaturg. Her work has been professionally produced by Chicago’s ETA Creative Arts Theatre; New York’s Nati

  sroberts@american.edu

  (202) 885-3482

Theresa Runstedtler Professor CAS | History

Theresa Runstedtler is a scholar of African American history whose research examines Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, masculinity, labor, and sport. Her crit

  runstedt@american.edu

  (202) 885-6991

Sarah Trembath Professorial Lecturer CAS | Literature

Sarah Trembath is an editor, writer, and educator. She has been teaching since 1998 and joined the AU faculty in 2014. Her written work has appeared in Radical Teacher, the Santa Fe Writer’s Project Q

  trembath@american.edu

  (202) 885-1456

Ximena Varela Associate Professor CAS | Performing Arts

Ximena Varela is a researcher, educator, and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in arts management curricular design (both on campus and online), museum management, international cultura

  varela@american.edu

  (202) 885-3883

David Vazquez Associate Professor Literature and CRGC, Program Director of Latinx Studies CAS | Critical RGC Studies

David J. Vázquez is Associate Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies and Director of the Latina/o/x Studies Program. He teaches courses on comparative Latina/o/x literature and cultur

  dvazquez@american.edu

Nuria Vilanova Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Núria Vilanova teaches Latin American Culture, Literature and Cinema. Her research is devoted to the impact of social change and migration on cultural production. She works on textual and cinematic na

  vilanova@american.edu

  (202) 885-2393

Quynh Vo Professorial Lecturer CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Dr. Quynh Vo is a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies and a faculty affiliate of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. Her

  qvo@american.edu

Lily Wong Associate Professor CAS | Literature

Lily Wong is an Associate Professor in the departments of Literature (LIT) and Critical Race Gender & Culture Studies (CRGC) at American University. She also serves as an Associate Director of Faculty

  wong@american.edu

  (202) 885-2987

Borders, Immigration, and US Empire

Horace Bartilow Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Horace A. Bartilow is Professor of International Political Economy and American Foreign Policy. He is a Jamaican born social scientist who received his Ph.D. in 1994 from the State University of New Y

  bartilow@american.edu

Marcelo Bohrt Asst Professor SIS - School of International Service

Marcelo Bohrt is a sociologist interested in racial politics and statecraft in the Americas. His primary area of research investigates the role of racial ideas and racial politics in the making and tr

  bohrt@american.edu

  (202) 885-6701

Ernesto Castaneda Director, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies CAS | Sociology

Mariam Durrani Professorial Lecturer SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Dr. Mariam Durrani is a decolonial feminist scholar and linguistic anthropologist with a research focus on global racialization, migration, education, and the geopolitics of war. Through her work, she

  mdurrani@american.edu

Eileen Findlay Professor and Department Chair, Critical RGC Studies CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Eileen Findlay graduated from Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she held a Jacob Javits fellowship. Both her books, 'We Are Left Without a Father Here': Masculinity, Dome

  efindla@american.edu

  (202) 885-6264

Anthony Fontes Associate Professor SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Anthony W. Fontes, geographer and ethnographer, writes and teaches about violence, migration and forced displacement, transnational illicit economies, mass incarceration, and the politics of security

  awfontes@american.edu

  (202) 885-6704

Sarah Iverson Assistant Professor CAS | Sociology

Sarah Iverson's work is motivated by novel and enduring questions in sociology: How do people create collective meaning in institutional settings? How do these meanings inform action? What role doe

  iverson@american.edu

Janice Iwama Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Janice Iwama is an Associate Professor in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University in Washington, D.C. She received her Ph.D. in Criminology and Justice Policy from Nort

  iwama@american.edu

  (202) 885-3004

Christina Juhasz-Wood Professorial Lecturer CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Christina Juhász-Wood is a Professorial Lecturer in the American Studies Program where she teaches courses on American culture and history, poverty, and critical refugee studies. Her work focuses on s

  cjwood@american.edu

Suzanne Persard Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Suzanne C. Persard (PhD, Emory University) is Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Department of Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies at American University, Facult

  persard@american.edu

Randolph Persaud Prof Emeritus

Randolph B. Persaud is Associate Professor of International Relations at American University in Washington D.C. He specializes in the areas of race and international relations, globalization, human se

Tazreena Sajjad Senior Professorial Lecturer SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Tazreena Sajjad currently serves as Senior Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Peace, Human Rights and Cultural Relations (PHRCR) in the School of International Service (SIS) at American Univer

  sajjad@american.edu

  (202) 885-6572

Thurka Sangaramoorthy Professor and Department Chair, Anthropology CAS | Anthropology

Dr. Thurka Sangaramoorthy is a cultural and medical anthropologist and global health expert with 23 years of experience conducting community-engaged ethnographic research, including rapid assessments,

  thurkas@american.edu

Salvador Vidal-Ortiz Associate Professor CAS | Sociology

Dr. Vidal-Ortiz's scholarship cuts across racialization, sexuality, gender, migration and religion; his work is interdisciplinary. He coedited two award winning books:

  vidalort@american.edu

  (202) 885-2443

Nina Yamanis Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Education, SIS SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Dr. Nina Yamanis studies how social and structural determinants are linked to health disparities globally and locally, and designs community-based interventions to reduce these disparities. She has wo

  yamanis@american.edu

  (202) 885-6562

Civil Rights and Social Movements

Marcelo Bohrt Asst Professor SIS - School of International Service

Marcelo Bohrt is a sociologist interested in racial politics and statecraft in the Americas. His primary area of research investigates the role of racial ideas and racial politics in the making and tr

  bohrt@american.edu

  (202) 885-6701

Orisanmi Burton Assistant Professor CAS | Anthropology

As a social anthropologist working in the United States, my research examines the imbrication of grassroots resistance and state repression. Within this broad area of inquiry, my present work explores

  oburton@american.edu

  (202) 885-6792

Mali Collins Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Mali Collins’ research areas include Black motherhood studies, Black archival studies, 20th and 21st century literature and art, medical humanities, digital technology, and reproductive health and jus

  malic@american.edu

Omi Davis-Smith Assistant Professor CAS | Performing Arts

A multifaceted artist-scholar, Dr. Omilade Davis-Smith has worked the majority of her life as a dancer, educator and performer. Omi earned a PhD in Dance from Temple University with a specialization i

  odavissm@american.edu

Omekongo Dibinga Senior Professorial Lecturer SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is the UPstander. His life’s mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large. He is a motivational speaker,

  dibinga@american.edu

Mariam Durrani Professorial Lecturer SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Dr. Mariam Durrani is a decolonial feminist scholar and linguistic anthropologist with a research focus on global racialization, migration, education, and the geopolitics of war. Through her work, she

  mdurrani@american.edu

N. Jeremi Duru Professor WCL | General Academics & Research

Professor N. Jeremi Duru teaches several sports law courses as well as civil procedure, and he is among the nation’s foremost sports law authorities. He is a co-author of one of the field’s premier

  jduru@american.edu

Nika Elder Associate Professor CAS | Art

Nika Elder specializes in North American art from the colonial period to the present, including African-American art and the history of photography. Her current research and courses examine the mutual

  nelder@american.edu

  (202) 885-1465

Lia Epperson Professor WCL | General Academics & Research

Lia Epperson, Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of constitutional law, civil rights, and education policy. Published

  epperson@american.edu

  (202) 274-4431

Johnathan Flowers Professorial Lecturer CAS - Philosophy and Religion

Johnathan Flowers is a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy & Religion at American University. Flowers’ research areas include African American intellectual history, Japanese Aestheti

  jflowers@american.edu

Llezlie Green Professor WCL - Clinical Program

Llezlie L. Green is a Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law. She is currently the Director of the Civil Advocacy Clinic and teaches Critical Race Theory. She has also taugh

  llgreen@american.edu

  (202) 274-4173

Wesley Lowery Associate Professor SOC | Journalism

Wesley Lowery is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and one of the nation's leading reporters on issues of race and justice. He is the executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop, an in

  lowery@american.edu

Manissa Maharawal Assistant Professor CAS | Anthropology

I am a cultural anthropologist and critical geographer whose work focuses on eviction, race, displacement and the spatial and temporal dynamics of contemporary urban social movements from Occupy Wall

  manissam@american.edu

  (202) 885-6641

Suzanne Persard Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Suzanne C. Persard (PhD, Emory University) is Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Department of Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies at American University, Facult

  persard@american.edu

Gautham Rao Associate Professor CAS | History

Gautham Rao is a legal historian of early America and the United States. He completed his undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Library

  grao@american.edu

  (202) 885-6745

Mubbashir Rizvi Professorial Lecturer CAS | Anthropology

My research and teaching interests span social movements, political ecology, racial capitalism in South Asia and its diasporas. My book, The Ethics of Staying: Social Movements and Land Rights in Paki

  mrizvi@american.edu

Elizabeth Rule Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Dr. Elizabeth Rule (enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation) is an Assistant Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies at American University in Washington, DC. Rule’s research on issue

  rule@american.edu

Theresa Runstedtler Professor CAS | History

Theresa Runstedtler is a scholar of African American history whose research examines Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, masculinity, labor, and sport. Her crit

  runstedt@american.edu

  (202) 885-6991

Brenda Smith Professor WCL | General Academics & Research

Brenda V. Smith is professor of law at the American University Washington College of Law and Director of the Community Economic Development Law Clinic. From 2018-2020, Smith served as Senior Associ

  bvsmith@american.edu

  (202) 274-4261

Salvador Vidal-Ortiz Associate Professor CAS | Sociology

Dr. Vidal-Ortiz's scholarship cuts across racialization, sexuality, gender, migration and religion; his work is interdisciplinary. He coedited two award winning books:

  vidalort@american.edu

  (202) 885-2443

Tracy Weitz Professor CAS | Sociology

In July 2022, I joined AU as a Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Health, Risk, and Society. I am also a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a non-partisan polic

  weitz@american.edu

Perry Zurn Provost Associate Professor CAS | Philosophy/Religion

Perry Zurn is Provost Associate Professor of Philosophy at American University, and affiliate faculty in the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies, the Honors Program, and the Antir

  pzurn@american.edu

  (202) 885-2964

Criminal Justice

Raychelle Burks Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry

After working in a crime lab, Dr. Burks returned to academia, teaching, and forensic science research. An analytical chemist, she enjoys the challenge developing detection methods for a wide-variety o

  burks@american.edu

Orisanmi Burton Assistant Professor CAS | Anthropology

As a social anthropologist working in the United States, my research examines the imbrication of grassroots resistance and state repression. Within this broad area of inquiry, my present work explores

  oburton@american.edu

  (202) 885-6792

TaLisa Carter Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

TaLisa J. Carter, Ph.D. is a native of Long Island, New York, dedicated to understanding the interactions of deviance, social organizations, and race. Dr. Carter is an Assistant Professor in the Depar

  carter@american.edu

  (202) 885-3021

Mali Collins Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Mali Collins’ research areas include Black motherhood studies, Black archival studies, 20th and 21st century literature and art, medical humanities, digital technology, and reproductive health and jus

  malic@american.edu

Kyle Dargan Associate Professor CAS | Literature

Kyle Dargan is currently an Associate Professor of literature and Asst. Director of creative writing at American University, as well as the founder and editor of POST NO ILLS magazine. He also works a

  kd6017a@american.edu

  (202) 885-2933

Angela Davis Distinguished Professor WCL | General Academics & Research

Angela J. Davis, Distinguished Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, is an expert in criminal law and procedure with a specific focus on prosecutorial power and racism

  angelad@american.edu

Wesley Lowery Associate Professor SOC | Journalism

Wesley Lowery is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and one of the nation's leading reporters on issues of race and justice. He is the executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop, an in

  lowery@american.edu

Jane Palmer Associate Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Dr. Jane Palmer is an Associate Professor with a primary focus on community-based participatory research, help-seeking, community-based responses to harm, and ending gender-based violence.

Sh

  jpalmer@american.edu

  (202) 885-3118

Brenda Smith Professor WCL | General Academics & Research

Brenda V. Smith is professor of law at the American University Washington College of Law and Director of the Community Economic Development Law Clinic. From 2018-2020, Smith served as Senior Associ

  bvsmith@american.edu

  (202) 274-4261

Perry Zurn Provost Associate Professor CAS | Philosophy/Religion

Perry Zurn is Provost Associate Professor of Philosophy at American University, and affiliate faculty in the Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies, the Honors Program, and the Antir

  pzurn@american.edu

  (202) 885-2964

Educational Policy and Pedagogy

Raychelle Burks Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry

After working in a crime lab, Dr. Burks returned to academia, teaching, and forensic science research. An analytical chemist, she enjoys the challenge developing detection methods for a wide-variety o

  burks@american.edu

Irene Calis Director, Arab World Studies CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Irene Calis is a decolonial scholar, educator, and organizer. Her research focuses on emancipatory politics from the perspective of those living their struggle. Through a comparative frame of analysis

  calis@american.edu

Omi Davis-Smith Assistant Professor CAS | Performing Arts

A multifaceted artist-scholar, Dr. Omilade Davis-Smith has worked the majority of her life as a dancer, educator and performer. Omi earned a PhD in Dance from Temple University with a specialization i

  odavissm@american.edu

Amaarah DeCuir Sr Prof Lecturer, CTRL Senior Inclusive Pedagogy Fellow and AUx Faculty Fellow SOE | Online Partner Programs (OLP)

Amaarah DeCuir, EdD, is a faculty member at American University in the School of Education and an affiliate faculty member of its Antiracist Research and Policy Center. Her scholarship spans the areas

  adecuir@american.edu

  (202) 885-2124

Tim Doud Professor CAS | Art

Tim Doud’s paintings and drawings address two seemingly distinct bodies of work, one figurative and one abstract. These bodies of works serve as a backdrop to broader discussions around constructed id

  tdoud@american.edu

  (202) 885-3992

Mariam Durrani Professorial Lecturer SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Dr. Mariam Durrani is a decolonial feminist scholar and linguistic anthropologist with a research focus on global racialization, migration, education, and the geopolitics of war. Through her work, she

  mdurrani@american.edu

Neisha-Anne Green Senior Director, Academic Support UEAS | Academic Support

Academic Interests: Social Justice Pedagogy, Writing Center Theory and Practice, Writing Center Tutor EducationWhat began as volunteer work has blossomed into passion for Neisha-Anne. Outside of her g

  ngreen@american.edu

  (202) 885-6574

Nicole Lorenzo Assistant Professor CAS | Psychology

Dr. Lorenzo studies relationships between parenting and early childhood social-emotional and behavioral functioning. The goal of her research is to aid in the early identification of children at risk

  nlorenzo@american.edu

Amanda Taylor Asst. VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion SA | Finance & Personnel Administration

Dr. Taylor's research and teaching focus on the intersection of culture, power, and education in domestic and international contexts. She earned her doctorate of education and her master's in educatio

  ataylor@american.edu

  (202) 885-3827

Sarah Trembath Professorial Lecturer CAS | Literature

Sarah Trembath is an editor, writer, and educator. She has been teaching since 1998 and joined the AU faculty in 2014. Her written work has appeared in Radical Teacher, the Santa Fe Writer’s Project Q

  trembath@american.edu

  (202) 885-1456

Ximena Varela Associate Professor CAS | Performing Arts

Ximena Varela is a researcher, educator, and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in arts management curricular design (both on campus and online), museum management, international cultura

  varela@american.edu

  (202) 885-3883

Health and Environment

Raychelle Burks Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry

After working in a crime lab, Dr. Burks returned to academia, teaching, and forensic science research. An analytical chemist, she enjoys the challenge developing detection methods for a wide-variety o

  burks@american.edu

Mali Collins Assistant Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Mali Collins’ research areas include Black motherhood studies, Black archival studies, 20th and 21st century literature and art, medical humanities, digital technology, and reproductive health and jus

  malic@american.edu

Garrett Graddy-Lovelace Provost Associate Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Garrett Graddy-Lovelace researches and teaches agricultural policy and agrarian geography. Her work focuses on domestic and international contexts and impacts of US food and farm policy--from subsidiz

  graddy@american.edu

Sonya Grier Professor KSB | Marketing

Professor Grier is an interdisciplinary scholar with diverse expertise across private, government, and non-profit sectors. Her research examines marketplace topics related to race, with a focus on enh

  sonya.grier@american.edu

  (202) 885-1971

Sarah Iverson Assistant Professor CAS | Sociology

Sarah Iverson's work is motivated by novel and enduring questions in sociology: How do people create collective meaning in institutional settings? How do these meanings inform action? What role doe

  iverson@american.edu

Nabina Liebow Director of CAS Leadership Program and Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | Philosophy/Religion

Nabina Liebow (she/her) is the College of Arts and Sciences Leadership and Ethical Development Program Director (CAS LEAD) and a Senior Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Religi

  liebow@american.edu

  (202) 885-6383

Nicole Lorenzo Assistant Professor CAS | Psychology

Dr. Lorenzo studies relationships between parenting and early childhood social-emotional and behavioral functioning. The goal of her research is to aid in the early identification of children at risk

  nlorenzo@american.edu

Kimberly Luchtenberg Assistant Professor KSB | Finance/Real Estate

Kimberly Luchtenberg’s research interests include real estate finance and household finance. Her research has been published in Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Journal of Real Estate Res

  luchtenb@american.edu

Jessica Owens-Young Associate Professor CAS | Health Studies

Jessica Young is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Studies at American University. Her work broadly focuses on health in economically distressed and under-resourced communities. Dr. Y

  jessica@american.edu

  (202) 885-2726

Malini Ranganathan Associate Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Malini Ranganathan is Associate Professor in the School of International Service at American University, and a political ecologist and geographer by training. She is a faculty affiliate of three un

  malini@american.edu

Aarushi Sahejpal Professorial Lecturer SOC | Journalism

Hi! I do a couple things at American University.In short -- I am a mathematician, data scientist, and journalism professor. I study how to better hold institutions accountable by bringing science, med

Thurka Sangaramoorthy Professor and Department Chair, Anthropology CAS | Anthropology

Dr. Thurka Sangaramoorthy is a cultural and medical anthropologist and global health expert with 23 years of experience conducting community-engaged ethnographic research, including rapid assessments,

  thurkas@american.edu

David Vazquez Associate Professor Literature and CRGC, Program Director of Latinx Studies CAS | Critical RGC Studies

David J. Vázquez is Associate Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies and Director of the Latina/o/x Studies Program. He teaches courses on comparative Latina/o/x literature and cultur

  dvazquez@american.edu

Tracy Weitz Professor CAS | Sociology

In July 2022, I joined AU as a Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Health, Risk, and Society. I am also a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a non-partisan polic

  weitz@american.edu

Nina Yamanis Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Education, SIS SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Dr. Nina Yamanis studies how social and structural determinants are linked to health disparities globally and locally, and designs community-based interventions to reduce these disparities. She has wo

  yamanis@american.edu

  (202) 885-6562

Global Inequality and Borders

Irene Calis Director, Arab World Studies CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Irene Calis is a decolonial scholar, educator, and organizer. Her research focuses on emancipatory politics from the perspective of those living their struggle. Through a comparative frame of analysis

  calis@american.edu

Garrett Graddy-Lovelace Provost Associate Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Garrett Graddy-Lovelace researches and teaches agricultural policy and agrarian geography. Her work focuses on domestic and international contexts and impacts of US food and farm policy--from subsidiz

  graddy@american.edu

Jordanna Matlon Associate Professor SIS | Global Inquiry

Dr. Matlon is an urban sociologist and scholar of race and colonial legacies in Africa and the African diaspora. Her scholarship interrogates the ways “Blackness” operates as a signifier, intersects w

  jcmatlon@american.edu

  (202) 885-6720

Randolph Persaud Prof Emeritus

Randolph B. Persaud is Associate Professor of International Relations at American University in Washington D.C. He specializes in the areas of race and international relations, globalization, human se

Malini Ranganathan Associate Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Malini Ranganathan is Associate Professor in the School of International Service at American University, and a political ecologist and geographer by training. She is a faculty affiliate of three un

  malini@american.edu

Mubbashir Rizvi Professorial Lecturer CAS | Anthropology

My research and teaching interests span social movements, political ecology, racial capitalism in South Asia and its diasporas. My book, The Ethics of Staying: Social Movements and Land Rights in Paki

  mrizvi@american.edu

Sybil Roberts Director of African American and African Diaspora Studies CAS | Performing Arts

Sybil R. Williams has spent the past twelve years cultivating her craft as a playwright and dramaturg. Her work has been professionally produced by Chicago’s ETA Creative Arts Theatre; New York’s Nati

  sroberts@american.edu

  (202) 885-3482

Theresa Runstedtler Professor CAS | History

Theresa Runstedtler is a scholar of African American history whose research examines Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, masculinity, labor, and sport. Her crit

  runstedt@american.edu

  (202) 885-6991

Tazreena Sajjad Senior Professorial Lecturer SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Tazreena Sajjad currently serves as Senior Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Peace, Human Rights and Cultural Relations (PHRCR) in the School of International Service (SIS) at American Univer

  sajjad@american.edu

  (202) 885-6572

Thurka Sangaramoorthy Professor and Department Chair, Anthropology CAS | Anthropology

Dr. Thurka Sangaramoorthy is a cultural and medical anthropologist and global health expert with 23 years of experience conducting community-engaged ethnographic research, including rapid assessments,

  thurkas@american.edu

Lily Wong Associate Professor CAS | Literature

Lily Wong is an Associate Professor in the departments of Literature (LIT) and Critical Race Gender & Culture Studies (CRGC) at American University. She also serves as an Associate Director of Faculty

  wong@american.edu

  (202) 885-2987

Markets and Media

Ernesto Castaneda Director, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies CAS | Sociology

Nika Elder Associate Professor CAS | Art

Nika Elder specializes in North American art from the colonial period to the present, including African-American art and the history of photography. Her current research and courses examine the mutual

  nelder@american.edu

  (202) 885-1465

Sonya Grier Professor KSB | Marketing

Professor Grier is an interdisciplinary scholar with diverse expertise across private, government, and non-profit sectors. Her research examines marketplace topics related to race, with a focus on enh

  sonya.grier@american.edu

  (202) 885-1971

Wesley Lowery Associate Professor SOC | Journalism

Wesley Lowery is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and one of the nation's leading reporters on issues of race and justice. He is the executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop, an in

  lowery@american.edu

Kimberly Luchtenberg Assistant Professor KSB | Finance/Real Estate

Kimberly Luchtenberg’s research interests include real estate finance and household finance. Her research has been published in Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Journal of Real Estate Res

  luchtenb@american.edu

Adrienne Massanari Associate Professor SOC | PhD Program

I am an Associate Professor in the Communication Studies division in SOC. My research interests include digital culture, online communities, platform politics, game studies, pop culture, and gender an

  adrienne@american.edu

Jordanna Matlon Associate Professor SIS | Global Inquiry

Dr. Matlon is an urban sociologist and scholar of race and colonial legacies in Africa and the African diaspora. Her scholarship interrogates the ways “Blackness” operates as a signifier, intersects w

  jcmatlon@american.edu

  (202) 885-6720

Theresa Runstedtler Professor CAS | History

Theresa Runstedtler is a scholar of African American history whose research examines Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, masculinity, labor, and sport. Her crit

  runstedt@american.edu

  (202) 885-6991

Aarushi Sahejpal Professorial Lecturer SOC | Journalism

Hi! I do a couple things at American University.In short -- I am a mathematician, data scientist, and journalism professor. I study how to better hold institutions accountable by bringing science, med

Sherri Williams Assistant Professor SOC | Journalism

Dr. Sherri Williams is a race and representation researcher who teaches about how media images are connected to and uphold oppression and inequality. Williams, who was a journalist for a decade before

  sherriw@american.edu