Megan R. Underhill, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of SociologyContact Information
- munderhi@unca.edu
- 251-6976
- 215 Zageir Hall
Biography
Megan R. Underhill earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Cincinnati in 2016. Since then, she has been employed as an assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina Asheville where she teaches courses on race and racism, social inequality, and social and cultural theory. Megan's research focuses on understanding how white parents communicate ideas about race, racism, and whiteness to their white children.
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.