Dr. Erica Lawson

Biography

Erica S. Lawson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at Western University. Her academic work centers on the Black intellectual tradition, exploring how Black individuals construct knowledge at the margins of society. Lawson's research investigates the mobilization of African, Caribbean, and Black women within contexts of structural violence and their roles as politicized maternal subjects. She leads a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant titled 'Commemorating Experiences of Liberian Women Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,' a community-university partnership that addresses the erasure of experiences of survivors in Liberia. She engages with a cross-section of Liberian society to produce arts-based activities and publications aimed at remembering the war and centering the experiences of women survivors. Lawson has published extensively on topics related to Black women’s experiences, maternal activism, and anti-Black racism in academic journals and edited volumes, contributing to an understanding of racial dynamics in Canada, particularly regarding women's roles during and after conflict.

Research Interests