User:Wikibrim/Elizabeth R. Cole

Elizabeth R. Cole is a University of Michigan professor in the departments of Psychology, Women's and Gender Studies, and Afroamerican and African Studies. Cole researches the intersectionality of socially constructed identities, such as gender, race and social class, and the personal experiences and perceptions of individuals who possess intersecting identities.

Education and career
In 1986, Cole graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston University. Cole received her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in 1991 and her Ph.D. in Personality Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1993. From 2014 to 2018, Cole acted as the Associate Dean for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) at the University of Michigan, prior to serving as LSA's interim dean in 2018. In addition to her teaching career, Cole is also a consulting editor for American Psychologist, the flagship peer-reviewed scholarly journal of the American Psychological Association.

Contributions to psychology
Cole has made important contributions to the field of psychology with her understanding of intersectionality and how it may be used to create a more equitable society. In her work, Cole distinguishes between two different types of intersectional analysis, categorical and political.


 * Categorical intersectionality analyzes how an individual's experiences are directly affected and shaped by their identities.
 * Political intersectionality explains how an individual holding multiple subordinate identities experiences conflict between the political agendas they have.

Cole's scholarship discusses the shortcomings of previous research on intersectionality. Specifically, she notes how prior scholarship failed to examine socially constructed identities in relation to difference and disadvantage. According to Cole, this relationship is directly associated with social outcomes, such as health, well-being, and political views. Cole poses three questions that can be used to understand how intersectionality influences individual experiences.


 * Who is included within this category? Addresses marginalized categories of individuals and the differences found among them.
 * What role does inequality play? Examines how socially constructed categories place individuals in different social positions and directly influences their experiences and the ways in which they think and live.
 * Where are there similarities? Seeks to find the similarities between differing categories, looking at understanding the actions of individuals rather than defining them based upon them.

Notable works
Single author peer-reviewed journal articles


 * "Coalitions as a model for intersectionality: From practice to theory" (Sex Roles, 2008)


 * "Intersectionality and research in psychology" (American Psychologist, 2009)


 * "Demarginalizing women of color in intersectionality scholarship in psychology: A Black feminist critique" (Journal of Social Issues, 2020)

Books


 * Speaking of Abortion: Television and Authority in the Lives of Women (University of Chicago Press,1999)

Awards and recognition
Cole's teaching and research have been recognized with the following awards:
 * 2010 - University of Michigan's John Dewey Teaching Award
 * 2013 - University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women's Sarah Goddard Power Award
 * 2018 - University of Michigan Provost Office's Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award