Claire Whitlinger

Claire Whitlinger is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Furman University, where she also serves as Program Founder and Co-Director of the Intergroup Dialogue Program. Her work focuses on the intersection of race, memory, and social movements, with a particular emphasis on the commemoration of racial violence and its societal impact. Whitlinger holds a B.A. from George Washington University and M.A./Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from the University of Michigan.

Her most notable work, Between Remembrance and Repair: Commemorating Racial Violence in Philadelphia, Mississippi (2020), examines five decades of memorialization surrounding the 1964 “Mississippi Burning” murders. She has pioneered intergroup dialogue initiatives at Furman, earning the 2019 Meritorious Diversity & Inclusion Award for her contributions to campus equity efforts.

Whitlinger’s research bridges historical memory studies with contemporary activism, exploring how communities remember and reckon with traumatic pasts. Her scholarship spans topics like civil rights-era justice, generational memory transmission, and the role of commemoration in social change. She has published widely in journals such as Sociological Forum and Race and Justice, while also engaging in institutional accountability projects like the Furman Slavery and Justice Task Force.

Her academic leadership includes co-founding Furman’s Intergroup Dialogue Program, which fosters conversations across social divides. Whitlinger’s work reflects a commitment to both scholarly rigor and applied social justice, blending rigorous sociological analysis with actionable educational initiatives.