Alexandria Smith

Alexandria Smith (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of African American and African Studies at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on Black feminist and queer literature and theory, examining embodiment in life writing, intersections of Blackness with gender and sexuality, and gendered discourses in Black cultural production.

• Education:
  • PhD in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Rutgers University
  • BA in Comparative Women’s Studies and International Studies, Spelman College

Her first book project explores competing conceptions of Black womanhood within Black feminist, queer, and trans studies. She has been published in Anthurium: A Caribbean Studies Journal, The Journal of Feminist Scholarship, Cultural Studies, and other venues.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies (2021–2023)