Shani Mott

Dr. Shani Mott (1976-2024) was a Lecturer in History and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her PhD in American Culture from the University of Michigan and BA in English and African-American Studies from Wesleyan University. Her research examined racial discourse in American literature and the evolution of African American literary genres.

Research Focus: Dr. Mott's scholarship investigated how 20th century writers employed racial language in popular culture. Her book manuscript explored 'literary racial transvestism' in postwar American novels. Later work analyzed debates around urban fiction's impact on African American literary traditions.

Teaching and Service: She developed curriculum focused on racial literacy and American literature, taught at NYU and Barry University, and directed Barry's Africana Studies Program. At Hopkins, she co-chaired diversity initiatives and contributed to university committees on inclusive excellence.

Honors: Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellow, Erskine Peters Dissertation Fellow, and recipient of Hopkins' Voices of Color Faculty Award (MOCHA) in 2019.