Michelle Erai - Gender Studies
(Appointed Fall 2010)
Originally from Whangarei, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Michelle Erai graduated Victoria University, Wellington, with a BA in Sociology and Women's Studies, and an MA (Applied) in Social Science Research. After several years working as a contract researcher, Michelle relocated to the United States where she completed a PhD in the History of Consciousness (with a parenthetical notation in Feminist Studies), University of California, Santa Cruz. Currently writing her first book, Civilizing Images: Violence and the visual interpellation of Māori women; Michelle has held a University of California Office of the President's Post-doctoral Fellowship at UC Riverside, and is about to begin her position as Assistant Professor this fall with Gender Studies at UC Los Angeles.
In addition to her academic work Michelle is a co-founder of Incite! Women of Color Against Violence, and was a Research Coordinator for Amokura, a Family Violence Prevention Initiative governed by the seven northernmost Māori tribes in Aotearoa.
Michelle’s tribal affiliations are Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, and Ngāti Porou.
Her current research interests include: postcolonial feminist theories, visual culture, indigenous feminisms, violence, historiography and the Pacific.