Austin Lee

Austin Lee is a Society of Fellows Postdoctoral Scholar at Boston University, specializing in Black sexuality, gender, communal motherhood, and race. They hold a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania (2023) and a B.A. in Black Studies from Amherst College (2017). Their research examines Black women’s navigation of motherhood expectations, class, and gender through affect theory, and addresses intersections of antiblackness, heterosexism, and gentrification.

Education:

• Ph.D., Sociology, University of Pennsylvania (2023)
• B.A., Black Studies, Amherst College (2017)

Research Interests: Lee’s work interrogates Black women’s experiences of communal motherhood, the emotional labor tied to racialized gender norms, and systemic inequities in gentrification. Using qualitative methods like interviews and affect theory, they highlight how race, class, and religion shape social stigma and emotional landscapes.

Awards:

• NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant
• UPenn Turner Schulman Graduate Research Fellowship

Teaching & Mentorship: Lee has taught at Bryn Mawr College on race, gender, and intersectionality. They also mentored students in UPenn’s Africana Studies Summer Program and served as a diversity and inclusion fellow, advocating for equity in academia.