Ph.D. 2023 University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Colorism, identity negotiation, racialized beauty, transnational perspectives in colorism, standards of beauty, life chance, educational access and attainment

Undergraduate:

• Social Inequalities
• Gender in Society
• Introduction to Sociology

Dr. Ellis is a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she earned a Ph.D. in Sociology with concentrations in both Critical Race and Ethnic Studies and Environmental Sociology. Her research seeks to understand the racialized nature of beauty, its connection to colorism, economic and social capital, identity negotiation, educational attainment, access, and life chance. Dr. Ellis has studied and facilitated research in India and West Africa exploring social stratification, the transnational circuits of colorism, skin bleaching, and how digitization of imagery poses a sociological, psychological, and emotional detriment to one’s understanding of self, and racial identity.

• Lisa Zottarelli , Xiaohe Xu , Jayla Hatcher , Raji Thiruppathiraj, Natasha Ellis, Shamatanni Chowdhury, Thankam Sunil. 2024. “Adaptative Complexity: Examining Texas Public Postsecondary Institutions Provision of Student Basic Needs Programs.” Trends in Higher Education (manuscript submitted).
• Ellis, Natasha. 2023. “Skin Bleaching, Colorism, and the Marketing Strategies of Racialized Beauty.” Journal of Colorism Studies (manuscript in progress for submission).
• Ellis, Natasha., & Destine, Shaneda. 2022. “Colorism and the Racialized Nature of Beauty.” Sociology Compass.
• Heaston, Allen., Ellis, Natasha., Anderson, R. 2020. Diversity Action Plan Language Development for University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
• Rainey-Brown, S., Johnson, G.S., Richardson, N. L., Stinson, T.G., & Ellis, N. P., 2012. “New American Racism: A Microcosm Study of a Small Town.” Journal of Race, Gender and Class19(3-4): 266-291.
• Ellis, Natasha. 2016. “Letters to My Youngins: Pivotal Moments in My Twenties of Life, Death, and Realization.” iUniverse.