Hankins, Rebecca Professor

Rebecca Hankins is the Wendler Endowed Professor housed in the Department of Global Languages and Cultures in the School of Arts and Sciences as of September 1, 2022. She spent 19 years in Cushing Memorial Library & Archives before moving to her current department. Her previous employment included 12 years as a senior archivist at The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, the premier research repository on Africana historical documentation. In December of 2016, U. S. President Barack Hussein Obama appointed her to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives and Records Commission from 2017-2020. She teaches courses on memory and mythmaking, Black Islam, and the use of primary sources in research methodology. She is committed to student success in her teaching. Her research centers on diversity as it intersects within the African Diaspora and Women & Gender Studies, and the applied use of popular culture as a pedagogical method that offers original approaches to the study of Islam. She has presented widely about diversity, inclusion, cultural competency, social justice, and equity in academia. Her published work has been featured in science fiction, library, archival, other peer-reviewed journals, and book chapters. Her areas of expertise are in the study of the African Diaspora, Women & Gender Studies, and Area Studies.