Wendy Chapkis

Wendy Chapkis, PhD, is a Professor of Sociology and Women & Gender Studies at the University of Southern Maine (USM), and currently serves as Chair of the Sociology Department. She holds affiliations with the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the Office of the Provost, and the Women and Gender Studies Program. Her research focuses on drug policy reform, LGBTQ history, body politics, and intersections of gender, race, nationality, and class.

Dr. Chapkis earned her PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz (1995), along with an MA (1989) and BA (1977) in Sociology/Politics from the same institution.

Her work bridges activism and scholarship, particularly through oral history projects like the “Querying the Past” initiative (2016–2019), which documented LGBTQ+ community histories. Recent research explores safer sex practices in pornography, gender dynamics in marijuana policy reform, and ethnographic methodologies.

Dr. Chapkis has authored three books and contributed to peer-reviewed journals addressing topics such as medical marijuana advocacy, migration law, and cultural studies of labor. Her teaching emphasizes critical engagement with sociological theory and applied research.