Dr. Patrice Douglass

Biography

Patrice D. Douglass is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research interrogates the relationship between sexual violence and modern racial slavery, focusing on the structural predicaments facing Blackness today. Douglass's work engages critically with Black feminist theory and Afro-pessimism, exploring how ideas of sexual violence not only shape our understanding of slavery but also continue to affect contemporary relationships with Black identity. Through her publication, 'Engendering Blackness', she reveals how sexual violability among slaves is misappropriated within existing frameworks of sexual violence that privilege certain narratives while neglecting others. Douglass's rigorous and bold approach aims to challenge the assumptions prevalent in gender studies, providing a paradigm-shifting perspective that underscores the interlocking nature of race, gender, and sexual violence. Her work is poised to become a fundamental authority in discussions surrounding Blackness and gender, making significant contributions to contemporary thought.

Research Interests