Stephanie Li

Stephanie Li is a Professor of African & African American Studies at Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Her research examines race, resistance, and cultural narratives in African American literature, with a focus on how marginalized groups navigate systemic oppression. Li holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and previously served as Research Professor at Duke (2023–2024), with prior appointments at Washington University in St. Louis, Indiana University, and the University of Rochester.

Her work bridges literary analysis with social justice, exploring themes like Toni Morrison's portrayal of love and resistance, Barack Obama's rhetorical strategies, and the subversive use of whiteness in Black-authored works. Key publications include Playing in the White (2015), Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in American History (2020), and the forthcoming Ugly White People (2024). Li’s scholarship critiques contemporary racial discourses, particularly in the Trump era, and advocates for transformative pedagogy connected to social movements like Black Lives Matter.

Education: Ph.D. (2005), M.F.A. (2004), M.A. (2003) from Cornell University; B.A. (1998) from Stanford University.