Austin Lee is a scholar who focuses on extended kin networks, communal mothering practices, and the nuances of Black sexuality and gender. Currently serving as a Society of Fellows Postdoctoral Scholar at Boston University, Lee earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation, \u201cFeeling Communal Motherhood: Black Women\u2019s Navigations of Class, Gender, and Parental Status,\u201d offers a comprehensive examination of Black women\u2019s relationship with societal expectations of motherhood.<\/p>\n
Drawing from semi-structured interviews with 80 Black mothers and childless women, Dr. Lee\u2019s research examines how parental status and social class influence Black women\u2019s experiences with communal motherhood. By utilizing affect theory, she delves into the complex emotions and pressures associated with these practices, thereby broadening the discourse on race, gender, emotion, and extended kin networks.<\/p>\n
Lee\u2019s previous research delves into the interplay of antiblackness, heterosexism, and classism. She focuses on how race influences anti-gay religious stigma within white and Black churches, revealing the complex connections between race, religion, and sexuality. Additionally, she employs affect theory to shed light on the emotional conflicts and racial connotations intertwined with gentrification. Her research has been recognized with numerous fellowships, such as the NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant and the University of Pennsylvania Center for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Immigration Turner Schulman Graduate Research Fellowship.<\/p>\n
Beyond her research, Dr. Lee has been an instructor at Bryn Mawr College, delivering courses such as \u201cRace, Class, and Gender: Intersectionality & The Social World.\u201d Her commitment to promoting diversity in higher education is further exemplified through her mentorship roles at the University of Pennsylvania Africana Studies Summer Program and her tenure as a diversity and inclusion fellow. Dr. Lee\u2019s work is a testament to her dedication to understanding and addressing the complexities of race, gender, family, and sexuality in contemporary society.<\/p>\n