Vanessa Lovelace

Vanessa Lovelace, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Crime & Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her research focuses on Black Feminist Geographies, Critical Race Theory, and Postcolonial studies, with a specialization in spatial politics and transnational justice. She holds a PhD in Political Science (Feminist Studies) from the University of Connecticut, an MA in Political Science from the University of Connecticut, and a BA in Legal Studies from the University of California-Santa Cruz.

Her work examines intersections of race, gender, and spatial power through historical and contemporary case studies, including analyses of Nat Turner’s rebellion and surveillance systems. She has taught courses such as CJS 190 (Intro to Crime & Justice Studies) and CJS 340 (Law and Society), emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches to justice frameworks like abolitionism and collective justice.

Lovelace’s publications include articles in *Southeastern Geographer* and *International Feminist Journal of Politics*, with recent work focusing on decolonizing methodologies and Black feminist hauntology. Her academic contributions also include a postdoctoral fellowship in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University (2017–2019).