Lisa G. Materson

Lisa G. Materson is a Professor in the History Department at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on U.S. women’s history, African American history, and the intersection of political movements with colonialism and anti-colonial struggles. She holds a Ph.D. in History from UCLA, with earlier degrees from UCLA and the University of Texas at Austin.

Her major works include For the Freedom of Her Race (2009), analyzing African American women’s political activism, and Radical Solidarity (2024), a biography of Ruth Reynolds and study of anti-colonial allyship in Puerto Rico’s independence movement. She co-edited The Oxford Handbook of American Women’s and Gender History (2018) and leads public history projects like the Empire Suffrage Syllabus.

Materson’s awards include the Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer (2016-2024) and multiple research fellowships. She teaches courses on women’s history, gender studies, and the histories of colonialism and nationalism. Her work bridges academic scholarship with public engagement, emphasizing transnational and intersectional approaches to social justice movements.