Samira Abdur-Rahman

Samira Abdur-Rahman is an Assistant Professor of English at The College of New Jersey within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her academic career spans institutions including the University of San Francisco and the University of Rochester, with specializations in Environmental Humanities, African American Studies, and Childhood Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Rutgers University (2014) and an M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought from New York University (2005).

Research Interests

• Black Ecologies and Environmental Justice
• Childhood Trauma and Narrative Theory
• Queer Theory in Children's Literature
• African American Women's Writing
• Interdisciplinary Approaches to Literature and Social Justice

Publication Trends
Her work bridges Black feminist thought, ecocriticism, and historical trauma across 15 publications from 2017–2025. Key themes include racialized childhoods, environmental justice, and resistance narratives in African American literature.

Scientific Awards & Grants

• Sabbatical Research Grant (2019)
• UCLA Archival Research Award (2019)
• Toni Cade Bambara Archives Grant (2019)
• Frederick Douglass Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015)

Committee Service

• Environmental Studies Major Core Committee (2024–Ongoing)
• HSS Curriculum Committee (2023–Ongoing)
• English Department Graduate Committee (2022–Ongoing)
• TCNJ Middle School Day Representative (2024–Ongoing)