Cathy Cohen

Departmental website:
https://political-science.uchicago.edu/directory/cathy-cohen

Cathy Cohen’s general field of specialization is American politics, although her research interests include African-American politics, women and politics, lesbian and gay politics, and social movements.

She is principal investigator of two major projects: The Black Youth Project and the Mobilization, Change and Political and Civic Engagement Project.

She is the author of the book The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics (1999), the co-editor with Kathleen Jones and Joan Tronto of Women Transforming Politics: An Alternative Reader (1997) and Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and the Future of American Politics (2010). Cohen also is editor with Frederick Harris of Transgressing Boundaries: Studies in Black Politics and Black Communities.

 

Cathy Cohen

  • Title: D. Gale Johnson Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science
  • Education: PhD, University of Michigan; AB, Miami University
  • Joined UChicago faculty: 2002
  • cjcohen@uchicago.edu
  • @cathyjcohen

Media Contacts

Elizabeth Braun Rush

Executive Director for Strategic Communications, Social Sciences Division

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Expertise

African American Politics, Gender, Politics, Social movements

Cohen Stories

Most black millennials say they know or have been victims of police abuse, report says

Most black millennials say they know or have been victims of police abuse, report says

Prof. Cathy Cohen says Black Youth Project report on attitudes toward policing and gun violence belie the ‘myth that millennials are a coherent, cohesive group’


Half of black millennials know victim of police violence

Half of black millennials know victim of police violence

Prof. Cathy Cohen says new Black Youth Project report reveals ‘complexity’ of attitudes toward policing and gun violence


Associated Press

Nov. 3-4 Chicago events to explore discrimination and inequities in the modern metropolis

Nov. 3-4 Chicago events to explore discrimination and inequities in the modern metropolis

U. of C. professor on the power of hashtags in black activism

U. of C. professor on the power of hashtags in black activism

In Q&A, Prof. Cathy Cohen explains the power and limits of digital media for black activists


6 Scholars Who Are ‘Reimagining Black Politics’

6 Scholars Who Are ‘Reimagining Black Politics’

Article features Prof. Cathy Cohen as influential scholar who emphasizes need to ‘amplify the voices of young black activists’


The Nation

The new civil rights movement doesn’t need an MLK

The new civil rights movement doesn’t need an MLK

In op-ed, Prof. Cathy Cohen argues that grassroots movements and digital activism have replaced need for Civil Rights leaders


Cathy Cohen, Timuel Black, Veronica Hauad selected Diversity Leadership Award recipients

Cathy Cohen, Timuel Black, Veronica Hauad selected Diversity Leadership Award recipients

Young people support LGBT rights but disagree on priorities

Young people support LGBT rights but disagree on priorities

Digital engagement reshapes politics

Digital engagement reshapes politics

Cathy Cohen’s research on black youth finds an easing of the “digital divide.”


William Harms

New photo ID laws in battleground states could affect voter turnout among young minorities

New photo ID laws in battleground states could affect voter turnout among young minorities