معرفی
Jen Atkins is a Professor in the School of Dance at Florida State University (FSU), specializing in American Dance and Popular Culture. She holds a BA in Dance and English from Huntingdon College, and both an MA and PhD in History from FSU. Her research bridges dance history with American cultural studies, examining how movement reflects identity, power dynamics, and societal change. Atkins co-chairs the Dance & Culture Area for the Popular Culture Association and collaborates with PoP Moves, an international research group for popular dance and performance.
Her major scholarly works include Carnival Balls in New Orleans (2017), which won the Jules and Frances Landry Award, and Dance in US Popular Culture (2023), recipient of the John G. Cawelti Award. She served as a Fulbright Roving Scholar in Norway (2022–23), developing collaborative dance workshops with FSU students. Her teaching focuses on dance history pedagogy, emphasizing student-driven inquiry into movement's societal roles.
Notable awards include the 2024 John G. Cawelti Award and a 2024 Glasscock Center fellowship. Her articles analyze topics like activist dance in Trump-era America, transnational cultural exchanges, and African-American dance traditions in New Orleans. Atkins also holds FSU’s Undergraduate Teaching Award (2012–13).
