Emily A. Owens

Emily A. Owens is an Associate Professor of History and Director of the Honors Program at Brown University's Department of History. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University (2015), with earlier degrees from Harvard College (AB, 2009; AM, 2013). Her research focuses on U.S. slavery, legal histories of race and sexual violence, and American feminist intellectual history. She examines how systemic structures shape intimate life across historical periods, particularly through the lens of Black women's survival strategies under slavery. Owens is the author of Consent in the Presence of Force (2023), which analyzes legal mechanisms enabling slavery's sexual violence. She currently explores lesbian feminist theory and present-day manifestations of structural racism/misogyny.

Her teaching includes courses on slavery narratives, American feminism, Black women's intellectual history, and legal history. Owens leads the Brown Gender History Workshop and co-convenes the Legal History Workshop. She has received awards from the Institute for Citizens and Scholars and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professional affiliations include the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians and the National Women's Studies Association.

Recent publications address intersections of race, gender, and institutional power in academic and social contexts. Her work appears in Signs, South Atlantic Quarterly, and Feminist Formations. Owens actively integrates teaching with research through fellowships at the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.