معرفی
Rachel A. Lewis is an Associate Professor in the Women and Gender Studies Program at George Mason University and also serves as the graduate director for the graduate certificate and MAIS concentration in Women and Gender Studies. Her scholarly work bridges feminist and queer theory, ecofeminism, animal rights, human rights, race and immigration, transnational sexualities, media and cultural studies, and disability studies.
Education
- Ph.D., Cornell University
Research Interests
Lewis’s research integrates transnational feminist and queer theoretical frameworks to examine how gender, sexuality, race, and ability intersect in contexts of migration, asylum, and human rights. She interrogates ecofeminist and animal rights perspectives to understand the feminization of interspecies care work and is currently completing a monograph titled Feline Animacies: Interspecies Care and Solidarity in a Post-Pandemic World. Her work on media and cultural studies explores how visual cultures articulate queer and transnational desires, particularly within post-apartheid South African and refugee art contexts.
Recent Scholarly Trends
Across her publications from 2010 to 2021, Lewis consistently addresses queer migration, asylum politics, and transnational sexualities. She analyzes how state regimes of deportation and asylum demand performances of sexual identity, often rendering lesbian asylum seekers as “deportable subjects.” Her collaborative and sole-authored pieces interrogate the politics of vulnerability, homonationalism, and the intersections of disability, sexuality, and human rights.
Scientific Awards & Honors
No specific awards or honors are listed in the provided text.
Advising & Graduate Leadership
As graduate director for both the graduate certificate and MAIS concentration in Women and Gender Studies, Lewis mentors students through interdisciplinary research in gender, sexuality, and human rights. Her role involves curriculum development, thesis supervision, and fostering scholarly communities that link feminist praxis with transnational activism.
Labs, Teams & Future Directions
Lewis is actively developing her book manuscript on interspecies care, situating feminist and queer ethics within post-pandemic futures. She continues to present her work at national and international venues, forging cross-disciplinary dialogues on disability, sexuality, and migration.
