Megan R. Underhill, Ph.D.
Megan R. Underhill, Ph.D.
Department Chair and Assistant Professor
206 Zageir Hall
Phone: 6976
Email: munderhi@unca.edu
Office Hours
By appointment only (email to schedule)
Biography
Megan R. Underhill joined the Sociology and Anthropology department at UNCA in 2016 and currently serves as the department chair.
Megan is an inequality-oriented educator. Her courses focus primarily on issues of racial and class inequality in the United States and challenge students to consider how we can create a more just world. Megan’s research examines white racial socialization and provides insight into a significant but overlooked empirical question—how do racial majority parents teach their children about race and racism?
When not teaching, researching, or writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the mountains, and reading for pleasure.
Education
- Ph.D, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio (Sociology)
- M.A. Colorado State University , Fort Collins, Colorado (Anthropology)
- B.S. College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina (Anthropology)
Courses Taught
- Class, Power, and Inequality
- Introduction to Sociology
- Social and Cultural Inquiry
- Sociology of Race
Recent Publications
Journal Articles
- Underhill, Megan R. and Lauren Simms. 2022. “Parents of the White Awokening.” Contexts, 21(1): 20-25.
- Mayorga, Sarah, Megan Underhill, and Lauren Crosser. 2022. “I Hate the Food Lion: Grocery Shopping, Racial Capitalism, and Everyday Disinvestment.” City and Community. (Published Online First).
- Underhill, Megan R. 2021. “Managing Difference: White Parenting Practices in Socioeconomically Diverse Neighborhoods.” City and Community, 20(2): 79-98.
- Brunsma, D. L., Chapman, N. G., Kim, J. W., Lellock, J. S., Underhill, M., Withers, E. T., & Wyse, J. P. 2020. The Culture of White Space: On The Racialized Production of Meaning. American Behavioral Scientist, 64(14), 2001–2015.
- Underhill, Megan R. 2019. “Diversity Is Important to Me”: White Parents and Exposure-to-Diversity Parenting Practices. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 5(4), 486–499.
- Randolph, A., Ray, V. E., Underhill, M., & Luke, D. (2019). Response to Weddington: More Lessons from Afro-pessimism. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 5(2), 289–293.
- Underhill, Megan R. Parenting during Ferguson: making sense of white parents’ silence, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 41(11): 1934-1951.
- Ray, V. E., Randolph, A., Underhill, M., & Luke, D. (2017). Critical Race Theory, Afro-Pessimism, and Racial Progress Narratives. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 3(2), 147–158.
Newspaper Articles
- Underhill, Megan R. 2018. “White Parents Teach Their Children to be Colorblind. Here’s Why That’s Bad for Everyone.” The Washington Post, October 5.
- Underhill, Megan R. 2018. “The Criminalization of Blackness—And What We Can Do About It.” The Washington Post, July 20.
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