Sharon Wright Austin

Sharon Wright Austin is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida, specializing in African-American political behavior, urban governance, and diaspora politics. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (1993) and has authored seminal works on black mayoral politics, plantation politics in the Mississippi Delta, and the Caribbean influence on U.S. black political consciousness. Her research bridges historical analysis with contemporary issues like racial capitalism and multiracial electoral coalitions.

Dr. Austin’s scholarship spans monographs such as *Race, Power, and Political Emergence in Memphis* (2000), *The Transformation of Plantation Politics* (2006), and *The Caribbeanization of Black Politics* (2018). She contributes to journals like the *American Political Science Review* and is editing a forthcoming volume on Black female mayors (*Political Black Girl Magic*). Her work frequently examines intersections of race, class, and governance in urban and rural contexts.

Her research interests emphasize marginalized communities’ political agency, including rural African-American activism and the impact of concentrated poverty on political engagement. Recent articles address Stop Woke era challenges for black faculty and contemporary Black populism. She is involved in editorial leadership at the *American Political Science Review* and collaborates on projects like GIS mapping for nutrition education in underserved areas.