Asha Best

Asha Best is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Clark University. Her research and teaching are interdisciplinary, focusing on mobilities studies, post-colonial and black studies, critical race theory, and urban informality. She examines how informal practices by black and migrant groups reshape urban planning and mapping.

Degrees:

• Ph.D. in American Studies, Rutgers University-Newark, 2017
• M.A. in Pan African Studies, Syracuse University, 2008
• B.A., University of Southern California, 2005

Her current projects include a comparative study of black and migrant place-making in Johannesburg. Recent publications explore carceral mobilities and urban specters, engaging with spatial justice and critical theory.

Grants:

• Reimagining Narratives of Race and Belonging: Counter-mapping the Boston Metro (Institute of Human Geography)
• Mapping for Just Cities: Towards a Geospatial Analysis of Race, Place and Policing
• Methodologies for Just Urban Futures (Clark University Academic Innovation Fund)

She has presented at conferences such as the Association of American Geographers, focusing on global black geographies and urban justice.