Dr. Lisa Simone Kingstone is a nonfiction writer and interdisciplinary scholar interested in questions of identity and belonging. She is the author of Fading Out Black and White (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018) and has also written for a variety of national and international publications. She has been featured on BBC radio 4 and LBC Radio (Leading British Conversations), and organized panels at Southbank Centre, London on race and gun violence in the US.  She taught English Literature at the University of Connecticut for 12 years, was a Senior Teaching Fellow at King’s College London (Assistant Professor), and an Associate Professor at Montclair State University. She has a BA from Barnard College, an MA from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in English Literature. 

She has two adult children and currently lives in Montclair, NJ with her husband. 

BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed, White Privilege - Racial Ambiguity

Racial ambiguity in America: Lisa Kingstone, Senior Teaching Fellow in Race and Identity at Kings College, London, asks what happens to a country that was built on race when the boundaries of black and white have started to fade. She’s joined by the writer, Bidisha. Also, what is meant by white privilege? Kalwant Bhopal, Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, discusses her new study.

TEACHING

Race, Privilege and Identity
This class provides a set of tools for deciphering how narratives are constructed around race, privilege and identity in society and how they shape perceptions that contribute to inequality and injustice. By looking at the legal and historical path of race, marginalization and the privileged class, it explores the dichotomies of ‘savior and saved’, ‘parent and child’, ‘animal and human’, ‘light and dark.’ How are these concepts institutionalized in education, religion, the justice system and sexual politics? What makes these portrayals so entrenched? How are they sustained? Through the lens of film, literature, music and media; this interdisciplinary course shows how to identify and evaluate these 'stories' to understand their influence on the identity of nations and people.
skuls-shapes

Nott and Giddens
Indigenous Races of the Earth, 1857

Nominated annually for Teaching Excellence Awards,
King’s College London

“This module has made me re think myself and my perception of race. Lisa is wonderfully intelligent and helpful. Amazing!”

“Lisa was wonderful and is the best lecturer I have ever had since coming to university. She made the lecture extremely interesting and was welcome to us asking questions and was always approachable. Really hoping I have Lisa again for my modules in my third year!”

“Very interesting and intellectually stimulating module. Definitely my favourite this term!”

“This module was an eye opening experience, it allowed me to discover society from a completely different perspective. Every lecture & reading was like an "aha moment", revealing something new and exciting. Engaging with "race" from the beginnings of this concept to contemporary times was a great way of understanding its global embeddedness. I personally think it should be made compulsory for anyone within the SSPP.“

Montclair State University

SOCI 106
"Since it was online and I was dorming, my roommate heard some parts of the class and could never stop talking about it. It started tons of conversations between us and it was amazing. This class, with this professor, should truly be a requirement. She obviously shows how much she cares about the topic and her vast experience having lived in Europe makes it ten times more interesting. Amazing teacher on all fronts." 

"Your lectures are amazing!!!! I have a friend in the same course we me and as you speak on various topics, we both marvel at how interesting some of the topics were!  I had a very amazing semester! "

SOCI 102
"This professor is absolutely incredible and I am so lucky to have had her. She was engaging, fair, full of knowledge and so personable! She opened my eyes to a subject that I was heavily interested in before, but now I am actually considering studying in great detail. I really hope I have her again." 

 "Doctor Kingstone gave great lectures and taught very important concepts. I feel like everyone should be required to take a course like this at some point. It was very eye-opening especially to hear about issues of race being taught by a white women. The professor is very informative and it is clear she knows a lot about the subject matter and is passionate about it."