Jan Etienne

Dr. Jan Etienne is a Lecturer and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Social Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London. She serves as Chair of the Womanism, Activism, and Higher Education Research Network and Hub Leader for Student Experience. Her research focuses on Black Feminist Epistemology, Womanist Learning, and Decolonizing Higher Education. Dr. Etienne holds a PhD in Black Feminist Epistemologies from Birkbeck (2014) and an MSc in Policy Studies from the University of Bristol (undated).

Her academic qualifications include a PhD and MSc with specializations in Black Political Narratives and Education Policy. Professional memberships span organizations such as the British Educational Research Association and the British Sociological Association.

Research interests include Black women’s activism, migration studies, and race/gender dynamics in education. Notable publications include Learning in Womanist Ways (2016) and Feminist Scholars’ Experiences in Decolonising the Academy (2025). Her work emphasizes community-driven approaches to social justice and institutional reform.

Dr. Etienne has received awards like the Womanist Ethnography Award (2023) and Birkbeck Fellowship (2019). She supervises doctoral students exploring topics such as Black Caribbean grief narratives and migrant women’s resistance strategies.

Teaching roles include Programme Director for BA Psychosocial Studies and MSc Education and Social Justice. Courses taught include Key Concepts in Sociology and Undergraduate Dissertation.