Christen Smith

Christen Smith is a Professor of Anthropology and African American Studies at Yale University. Her research focuses on Black feminist anthropology, African diaspora studies, and the intersections of race, gender, and violence in the Americas. She co-founded the Cite Black Women initiative to highlight Black women's intellectual contributions. She serves as associate editor of Transforming Anthropology, and teaches courses on global Black feminisms, violence, and memory.

Her work explores transnational anti-Black state violence in Brazil, policing practices, and Black women's intellectual frameworks. Key publications include Afro-Paradise (2016), The Dialectic is in the Sea (2023), and Black Feminist Constellations (2023). Upcoming projects include Frequency: Black Women in the Atlantic (under contract).

Her research emphasizes performance studies as a lens for understanding resistance, with a focus on how marginalized communities articulate their struggles through cultural practices. She collaborates with grassroots organizations to center Black women's voices in both academic and public discourse.