Bonnie Zare

Bonnie Zare is a Professor in the Department of Sociology within the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. She currently serves as the Director of Women's and Gender Studies (since September 2023) and is an active member of the Faculty Senate (2023-2026). Her work spans teaching, research, and international engagement with a focus on social justice issues.

Dr. Zare's research interests center on feminist theory, global feminisms, caste studies, and gender-based violence, with particular emphasis on South Asian contexts. Her scholarship examines caste privilege among university students, the experiences of domestic workers in India, and transformative educational approaches for marginalized communities. She has conducted extensive work on B.R. Ambedkar's educational philosophy and its implications for social justice.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent trajectory examining how social hierarchies operate across national boundaries, particularly focusing on caste dynamics within the Indian diaspora and educational settings. The research demonstrates how seemingly mundane campus interactions around dating, marriage patterns, and food practices can reveal hidden structures of caste privilege.

Dr. Zare has developed and led a Wintermester program to South India for over a decade, partnering with organizations including Aarti Home and Voice4Girls to support low-income girls in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This experiential learning program allows students to deepen their knowledge of social justice issues while engaging directly with community-based solutions.

She teaches a range of courses including Feminist Theory, Global Feminisms, and Introduction to Women's & Gender Studies, with consistent teaching assignments through December 2024. Her professional activities include numerous diversity and inclusion initiatives, human subjects training, and committee service focused on gender equity and educational development.