Mako Ward

Mako Fitts Ward is Assistant Professor of African American and Women and Gender Studies at ASU, with affiliations in The Design School. As Director of the Social Transformation Lab, she researches Black cultural production, creative placemaking, and digital activism. Her 2024 publication analyzes exclusionary practices in online Black conspiracy communities, extending her longstanding work on misogynoir in cultural discourse.

Publications critically examine hip-hop's political economy, Beyoncé's cultural impact, and community-based liberation strategies. Recent work investigates conspiritualism's relationship to white supremacist structures and Black feminist resistance. Methodologies blend critical theory, digital ethnography, and intersectional analysis.