Introducing Professor of Queer Studies Dana Ahern

Among the new faculty is Visiting Assistant Professor of Queer Studies Dana Ahern, who comes to us from the University of Nevada, Reno, where most recently he was a postdoctoral fellow in queer and trans studies. Ahern’s work examines trans medicine through differing political economies of health and their effects on the construction of the transgender body as (de)pathologized.

At Hampshire, he’ll be teaching two courses, Queer Theories: Explorations of Queer Histories, Movements, and Cultures, which will delve into a broad range of topics within queer and trans studies, highlighting queer/trans of color critique, and Medicine and Power: Queer and Trans Identity in Science and Medicine, in which students will explore queer and trans histories and theoretical approaches to discussions of medicine and science as systems of power.

Tell us about your background and the focus of your research.

I hold a B.A. in gender and women’s studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. in gender and cultural studies from Simmons College, and a Ph.D. in feminist studies with an emphasis on critical race and ethnic studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

After completing my doctorate, I was at the University of Nevada, Reno, in the Department of Gender, Race, and Identity, teaching classes in queer and trans studies. My teaching and research interests revolve primarily around intersections of queer and trans studies, disability studies, and feminist science and technology studies, and my research spans the United States and Eastern Europe.

What are you looking forward to at Hampshire?

I’ve been so lucky to have received exceptional, generous mentorship throughout my studies with professors who helped me hone my research questions and develop my own critical lens. I’m excited to work with students at Hampshire to do the same, and I look forward to working and learning together.

How do you hope to engage with our new curricular model?

In my experiences as both a student and a teacher, I’ve struggled to work through the limitations — and even the fear — brought about by the punitive structure of grades and standardized benchmarks of progress. I hope to create opportunities for students to explore their own interests, work collaboratively, and understand themselves as producers of knowledge. I’ve heard wonderful things about Hampshire students, and I can’t wait to hear more about their scholarly and political interests and see what we can accomplish together.