Marcus Lee is a social scientist and writer, with expertise in Black Studies. He earned a B.A. in Sociology at Morehouse College and a Ph.D. in Political Science, with a certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Chicago.
His research concerns 20th century black political history, social movements, black popular culture, and science and technology. At Princeton, he will pursue a book project that examines the material and discursive conditions under which black gay/lesbian groups attained political “visibility’ in the “post-civil rights era.” With particular attention to the early development of HIV/AIDS statistics, the advent of hand-held audiovisual technologies, and the institutionalization of civil rights history, the project details the political effects and historical significance of late 20th century efforts to specify and articulate black sexual difference. His second project will offer an account of the expansion of racialized vigilante violence through a comparative analysis of three cases: the multi-state diffusion of “Shoot First” legislation, the development of abortion bounties, and the promotion of concealed carry weapon insurance products.
Lee is the recipient of a number of awards, including the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Point Foundation Scholarship, the American Political Science Association Minority Fellowship, and the Predoctoral and Dissertation Fellowships through the Ford Foundation. His research has been supported by grants from the Social Science Research Council, the Mellon Mays Foundation, and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago. He has published work in the Du Bois Review and The Atlantic.
In fall 2024, Lee will be teaching a course on black political history titled “Black Politics Since 1965.” During his time at Princeton, he also plans to teach a course on “20th Century Social Movements.” He will join the faculty in the Department of African American Studies as an assistant professor in July 2025.
