Maggie Hunter

Maggie Hunter serves as a Professor and Strategic Advisor to the Dean for Faculty DEI Initiatives in the Department of Sociology at Santa Clara University's College of Arts and Sciences, a position she has held since 2022. Her academic work bridges teaching excellence and institutional diversity leadership within the Sociology department.

Dr. Hunter earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA in 1999 and completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, establishing a foundation for her interdisciplinary research approach.

Her research program critically examines colorism—the systemic discrimination based on skin tone among people of color—spawning investigations into global skin bleaching practices and 'ethnic cosmetic surgery' trends. She further explores race politics in higher education, Gen Z's college experiences with social activism, and racial/gender representations in hip-hop media, particularly focusing on women of color.

In pedagogy, Dr. Hunter champions community-engaged learning through courses like Social Movements, Body Politics, Sociological Theory, and Research Design, emphasizing hands-on student experiences to深化 sociological understanding.

She currently mentors undergraduate researchers through a dedicated team studying Gen Z's campus activism, demonstrating her commitment to developing emerging scholars while advancing contemporary sociological discourse.