Chelsie May

Chelsie May is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at Occidental College since 2024. She specializes in intersectional analyses of Jewish lives in Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA), focusing on racialization, gender, and belonging.

• Education:
  • B.A., University of California, Los Angeles
  • M.A., Brandeis University
  • Ph.D., University of Chicago

Her research examines histories of Jews in SWANA, relations with communities of color rooted in social justice movements, and the racialization of Jewish women in Iraq. Her current book project investigates how race discourses shaped the belonging of Iraqi Jewish women.