Endia Hayes

Endia Hayes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio, specializing in Black Southern feminist theory with a focus on Black Texan women and femmes across the 19th-21st centuries.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Sociology from Rutgers University (2024)
• M.A. in Sociology from Rutgers University (2020)
• B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Spelman College (2017)

Dr. Hayes' research centers on embodiment and sensory experience within Black Texas history, examining how Black women and femmes use their bodies to create cultural production. Her current book projects investigate Black Southern femme bodies in hip-hop culture and folklore as a racial project defining Texas statehood. Her methodology blends archival analysis with sensory studies to confront historical erasures of Black women in the South.

Her publication portfolio reveals consistent thematic focus on Black feminist theory, embodiment, and Texas-specific racial formations. Articles frequently address archival practices, food sovereignty, and sensory dimensions of Black womanhood, demonstrating interdisciplinary contributions to African American Studies, Gender Studies, and Southern historiography through innovative methodological approaches.

Her honors include:

• Anna J. Cooper Award (2025) from Lorna C. Hill Black Celebration, Dartmouth College
• Fellowship at Center for Black, Brown, and Queer Studies (BBQ+)
• Fellowship at Global Black Feminisms Summer Lab, UC Berkeley
• Thurgood Marshall Fellowship at Dartmouth College

Dr. Hayes teaches Introduction to African American Studies, Intersectionality, Sensing Race/Gender/Sexuality through Megan Thee Stallion's work, and Black Feminisms & Black Queer Theory. Her research is supported by competitive fellowships, and she actively contributes to scholarly discourse through presentations at the African American Intellectual History Society (2025) and Association of Black Sociologists (October 2025), focusing on topics like 'Liquidity: Sticking to Haunting in Texas Afterlives' and 'Trap Feminist Sisterhoods.'