Erin Gray

Erin Gray is an Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of California, Davis, where she teaches in the Department of American Studies within the College of Letters and Science. She is a feminist cultural historian and critical theorist whose work explores political violence, aesthetic mediation, and knowledge production, with a focus on lynching culture and racial terror in the U.S.

Education:

• B.A. in English, York University
• M.A. in Social & Political Thought, York University
• Ph.D. in History of Consciousness, UC Santa Cruz

Her research lies at the intersection of critical theory, Black studies, feminist epistemology, visual culture, and political violence. She investigates how racial terror is mediated through images and discourse, particularly in photography and film, and how these representations shape historical memory and resistance. Gray emphasizes history from below and the politics of affect, often drawing on radical left traditions to critique the legacies of lynching and policing.

The themes in her publications reflect a sustained engagement with racial capitalism, anti-Black violence, experimental poetics, and decolonial media. Her work spans academic journals, art criticism, and public scholarship, showing a commitment to both theoretical rigor and activist praxis. She frequently analyzes visual and literary texts to uncover the affective and ideological structures of oppression.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• Society of Hellman Fellowship, UC Davis (2023)
• Provost Postdoctoral Fellow, New York University
• UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Irvine (2017–2018)
• Fellowships from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (twice)

Gray has been actively involved in academic and public-facing initiatives, including convening a UC Davis Humanities Institute Interdisciplinary Research Cluster on lynching culture and policing, and advising the Mike Henderson exhibition "Before the Fire." She has received research support through competitive fellowships and grants. While her advising of graduate students is not detailed, her leadership in research clusters and editorial projects suggests mentorship and collaborative scholarship. She has not been listed as leading a formal lab, but her interdisciplinary research group functions as a scholarly collective.