معرفی
Kyra D. Gaunt, PhD is an Assistant Professor at University at Albany, State University of New York, holding appointments in the Department of Music & Theatre, Department of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies (as associate faculty), and Department of Sociology (as affiliate member). A cutting-edge scholar specializing in digital and embodied ethnomusicology, she joined UAlbany in 2017 after earning her PhD from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Her research focuses on Black music studies, Black girlhood studies, and hip-hop feminism, with particular attention to how Black girls navigate musical spaces online. Gaunt's scholarship explores the intersections of music, technology, and violence targeting Black girls in digital spaces from YouTube to TikTok, making significant contributions to understanding how musical internet platforms shape girls' experiences.
Her work reveals consistent patterns across publications showing how Black girls' cultural practices—from double-dutch to game songs—are foundational to Black popular music while simultaneously being sites of digital exploitation. The research demonstrates how platforms monetize Black girls' creativity while exposing them to harm, with particular attention to how music tech grooms girls for emotional and psychological violence online.
- 2007 Alan P. Merriam Prize for 'The Games Black Girls Play'
- 2023 Tribeca Film Festival winner
- 2024 NAACP Image Award recipient
- 96th OSCARS® Shortlisted Documentary
- 2025 American Film Showcase envoy
- Senior TED Fellow (2020-2022)
As a federally-certified expert witness in social media cases and recipient of a Ms. Foundation $25k grant, Gaunt bridges academic scholarship with real-world applications. Her work with the documentary 'Black Girls Play: A Story of Hand Games' has taken her to international platforms as an American Film Showcase envoy, demonstrating the global impact of her research on Black girls' cultural practices.
