Position Overview

The Department of Womens, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Indigenous Feminisms with a start date of August 15, 2025. We seek a scholar whose research interrogates gendered and sexualized disparities alongside the dispossessions of settler colonialism and capitalist development, the imaginary and creative dimensions of indigenous justice movements, and the potentials of women- and two-spirit or queer-led innovations in preserving embattled minority and colonized cultures. We are interested in work that centers indigenous resistant practices in response to dispossession and gender, racial, ethnic, sexual, caste, national, or embodied oppressions; and/or that examines the cultural and social dimensions of land/water/air/environment; and/or who study the roles of indigenous women, queer, and two-spirit people in sovereignty struggles or who work to combat land/body insecurity and threats to community thriving. We welcome scholars who work in any geographic region, or whose work examines transnational or tribal relations among and between indigenous communities.

This position is being partially funded by Ohio States Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme (GAHDT). The successful candidate will be expected to participate in mentoring events and interdisciplinary programming as part of a cohort of GAHDT-funded faculty. This hire follows a concentrated emphasis of hiring scholars in indigenous studies at Ohio State over the past several years.

Performance Objectives

• Commit to excellence in graduate and undergraduate education
• Develop impactful, productive, and novel research programs in Indigenous Feminisms
• Establish productive relationships with existing research areas in the Department and across the institution

Education and Experience Requirements

Required: Candidates must have their PhD or terminal degree in hand in womens, gender, and/or sexuality studies, indigenous studies, American Indian studies, ethnic studies, or other allied fields by August 15, 2025.

Desired: Preference for applicants who would bring experience in community engaged research and creative practices under conditions of dispossession and climate and planetary change. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to building a diverse intellectual community, in line with OSUs Shared Values (see below).

How to Apply

A competitive application consists of the following required elements: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, separate research and teaching statements, a writing sample, and names and contact information for three letters of reference. Review of applications will begin on October 25, 2024. Inquiries may be directed to Professor Mary Thomas at Thomas.1672@osu.edu

You will be presented with the opportunity to attach up to FIVE documents in the Application Documents section.

Please include the following:

• Attachment 1: Cover Letter: 1-2 page letter, which should include a brief summary of your academic background and why you are interested in this opportunity.
• Attachment 2: CV (Curriculum Vitae): Detailed overview of your scholarly experience, including your research experience, teaching and mentoring experience, service, funding, and publications.
• Attachment 3: Research Statement: Summary of your past research accomplishments, current work/research, and proposal for your future research plan as a faculty member.
• Attachment 4: Teaching Statement: A statement of your approaches, experience and philosophy regarding your teaching, learning, and mentoring.
• Attachment 5: An article or chapter-length writing sample.

Please be aware, you will not be able to edit your application or attachments after you apply. You will need to fill out the application in its entirety and upload all required documents before clicking Submit.

Qualified candidates may be asked to provide the names and contact information for three references at a later date.

The College

With more than 80 majors and 100 minors, the College of Arts and Sciences is the academic heart of the university. The Arts and Sciences provides extraordinary opportunities to collaborate across disciplines, blending creativity and analysis to truly be at the forefront of thought. The breadth and depth of knowledge in the college gives students and researchers the critical thinking and adaptability essential for a lifetime of success.

Department Information

For over forty years, Womens, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Ohio State has developed into an outstanding academic unit and intellectual hub, with a long history of building the field of WGSS locally, nationally, and internationally. Our faculty is conducting cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research in an important range of fields, and we consistently engage communities beyond campus. The department offers an undergraduate major and minor, M.A., Ph.D., and a graduate minor. The department also is building the FREE Center (the Ohio State Center for Feminist Research, Education and Engagement), a hub for community-engaged feminist research and teaching and a growing network of feminist scholars, artists, and activists on campus and beyond.

Indigenous peoples have lived and gathered in what is now the state of Ohio for thousands of years, and the series of large-scale geometric, boundary, and effigy earthworks still visible in central and southern Ohio bear witness to our region's historical importance as a center for economic, spiritual, artistic, and intellectual endeavor and exchange. Ohio States campuses occupy the ancestral and traditional territory of the Shawnee, Delaware, Wyandotte, Miami, and other Indigenous nations.

Over one hundred years ago, in October 1911, the Society of American Indians (SAI), the first American Indian activist association organized and run by Native people themselves, held its first meetings on the campus of The Ohio State University. Today the universitys American Indian Studies program (AIS) in the Center for Ethnic Studies offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate Minor and collaborates with a wide array of university programs, departments, and campuses to develop AIS programming. The Office of Student Life supports the Native American and Indigenous community through its Center for Belonging and Social Change. WGSS looks forward to enhancing its cross-disciplinary and cross-campus collaborations with AIS as well as the formation of equitable community and Tribal partnerships as part of this new position.

The University

Ohio State is a top-20 public university, and its Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is one of Americas leading academic health centers and recently ranked No. 4 on Forbes list of best U.S. employers for diversity. Eligible Ohio State employees receive comprehensive benefits packages, including medical, dental and vision insurance, tuition assistance for employees and their dependents, and state or alternative retirement options with competitive employer contributions.

The Ohio State Universitys Shared Values include Excellence and Impact, Diversity and Innovation, Inclusion and Equity, Care and Compassion, and Integrity and Respect. Our university community welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration and courageous thinking, and upholds freedom of expression.

Ohio State is a dynamic community where opportunity thrives, and individuals transform themselves and their world. Positions are available in countless fields and specialties.

The Ohio State University is committed to enhancing academic excellence. Recruiting, supporting, and retaining faculty of the highest caliber is a core component of this commitment. The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) has established Dual Careers and Faculty Relocation (DCFR) to focus on supporting new and prospective faculty and their loved ones. Service offerings include dual careers partner consultations, identifying potential employers and/or employment opportunities, consultation and resources related to relocation, as well as identifying opportunities to engage on campus and in the surrounding community. While employment opportunities are not guaranteed, resources and consultation are provided to support the partners of new and prospective faculty as they are considering or transitioning to The Ohio State University.

In addition to being responsive to dual-career opportunities, we strongly promote work-life balance to support our community members through a suite of institutionalized policies. Ohio State is an NSF ADVANCE institution and a member of the Ohio/Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC).

Located in Ohios capital city, Ohio States Columbus campus is near the center of a rapidly growing and diverse metropolitan area with a population of over 1.5 million. The area offers a wide range of affordable housing, many cultural and recreational opportunities, excellent schools, and a strong economy based on government as well as service, transportation, and technology industries. Additional information about the Columbus area is available here. Beyond its Columbus campus, Ohio State has four regional campuses including Ohio State Lima, Ohio State Mansfield, Ohio State Marion, and Ohio State Newark, in addition to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Wooster Campus, which houses Ohio State ATI.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disability

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check.

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About The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University is a dynamic community of diverse resources, where opportunity thrives and where individuals transform themselves and the world. Founded in 1870, Ohio State is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. With more than 63,000 students (including 57,000 in Columbus), the Wexner Medical Center, 14 colleges, 80 centers and 175 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions.

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