Samantha Pinto

Samantha Pinto is Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin, with affiliations in African & African Diaspora Studies and the Center for Women's & Gender Studies. She directed the UT Humanities Institute (2022-2025) and co-edits the Black Feminism on the Edge book series. Her work bridges feminist theory, African diaspora studies, and the history of science.

• Education: PhD from UCLA
• Previous Affiliation: Georgetown University (Associate Professor of English and African American Studies)

Pinto's research interrogates how African diasporic women reconfigure race, gender, and human rights through cultural production. Her scholarship spans Difficult Diasporas (2013 William Sanders Scarborough Prize) and Infamous Bodies (2020 Duke UP, shortlisted for ASAP book prize), with current work on Inside the Body of Black Feminism (2026) and mobile reproductive health projects.

Recent publications analyze antebellum sexual violence, Black celebrity aesthetics, and intersectional science. Articles appear in Signs, Meridians, and Early American Literature. She has received NEH and NHC fellowships and co-edited special journal issues on topics like 'Feminism's Bad Objects.'

• Scientific Awards:
  • MLA William Sanders Scarborough Prize (2013)
  • ASAP Book Prize Shortlist (2021)
  • Choice Book Selection (2021)

Her teaching includes courses on Race/Gender/Science, 19th/20th Century US Literature, and Women's & Gender Studies. Pinto's methodological approach combines transnational feminism, literary analysis, and interdisciplinary humanities.