Jelani Ince (he/him/his)

Research Overview: My research employs the lens of cultural sociology to examine how racial diversity is managed in formal organizations through the ordinary procedures and the social interactions between actors, as well as how social movements shape the political process in response to racial injustice.  My current project incorporates two years of ethnographic data collection in a predominately white Protestant organization in St. Louis, MO to understand how social interactions shape the contours and trajectories of contemporary diversity efforts as well as the impact of these efforts on actors within the organization. Another part of my research focuses on how digital communities and social movement behavior shape public opinion and influence the political process. Specifically, I examine the Movement for Black Lives and the various tactics that movement actors use to disseminate information about movement activity, deploy frames for recruitment, inclusion, and resistance, and shape how Americans talk about the perpetuation of racialized state violence. 

Teaching: My teaching efforts have mainly focused on racial inequality, culture, and social psychology. At the University of Washington, I expect to teach graduate courses on culture and organizations and ethnography and undergraduate courses in social psychology, race/ethnicity, and culture and power. 

Biography: I received my BA in English and French Studies from Wake Forest University (2014, Distinguished Student Scholar in American Ethnic Studies), and my PhD in Sociology from Indiana University, Bloomington (2021).