Lisa Beard

Lisa Beard is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Western Washington University, specializing in race, gender, and sexuality politics with a focus on Black political thought. Formerly a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Riverside and a Wayne Morse Dissertation Fellow at the University of Oregon, she bridges academia and community organizing through her work.

Her research interrogates racial formations and identificatory politics, emphasizing mutuality and shared freedom. The core of her work examines how political 'we' frameworks are constructed and contested. Notable projects include her award-winning dissertation developed into the 2023 book If We Were Kin, analyzing Black and LGBTQ+ activists like James Baldwin and Sylvia Rivera.

Publications span Political Theory, Contemporary Political Theory, and edited volumes on James Baldwin. Awards include the APSA’s 2017 Best Dissertation Award in Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. Courses taught include Queer Politics, Black Politics in the U.S., and Race and Political Identification.

Her work intersects activism and scholarship, informed by community organizing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Current research explores Black feminist critiques of racial capitalism and queer anti-colonial thought, reflecting her commitment to transformative political relationships.