Dr. Hakeem Jefferson

Biography

Hakeem Jefferson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University. He is affiliated with the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and the Stanford Center for American Democracy. Dr. Jefferson received his PhD in political science from the University of Michigan and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and African American Studies at the University of South Carolina. His research primarily examines the role that identity plays in structuring political attitudes and behaviors in the United States. He is particularly interested in understanding how stigma shapes the politics of Black Americans, especially in relation to their support for racialized punitive social policies. Some of his research projects explore the psychological and social roots of the racial divide and Americans' reactions to officer-involved shootings. His dissertation, "Policing Norms: Punishment Politics and the Respectability of Black Americans," was co-winner of the 2020 Dissertation Award from the Political Psychology Section of the American Political Science Association.

Research Interests

Courses