Welcome Dr. O'Connell

 

Dr. Heather O’Connell joined us this August 2017. Dr. O’Connell received her Ph.D from University of Wisconsin in 2014 and recently finished a post-doctoral fellowship at Rice University. Her major interests are race/ethnicity and demography. The longest running focus in her research is related to the idea of a contemporary legacy of slavery, a social remnant of the racial hierarchy associated with slavery that continues to be reflected in the spatial patterns of black-white inequality that we see today. Her most recent project on this topic examines the connections among the legacy of slavery, collective memory, and Confederate monuments. Future projects will build on the work of historians to develop a clearer understanding of where and why Confederate monuments were built. Welcome aboard, Dr. O’Connell!