Liz Mount

My scholarship explores how inequality gets reproduced, especially among marginalized groups. I am broadly interested in understanding the role of global social change in shaping contemporary gendered identities and practices; my regional focus is India. I am a qualitative sociologist who is trained in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. My single-author articles are published in journals such as Gender & Society, The Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, and Contemporary South Asia.

My book manuscript, “New” Women: Trans Women Remaking Inequality in India, shows the tensions that arise as a marginalized group—in this case, transgender women in India—becomes more accepted in society. On the surface, increased acceptance seems positive for trans women, but a deeper look reveals how this social change simultaneously marginalizes other gender non-conforming people. This book is based on 18 months of ethnographic research (including over 75 interviews) conducted in Bangalore, India and an analysis of media representations of trans people in India. The book is under contract with Cambridge University Press.

I am currently an Assistant Professor at Flagler College where I teach courses on gender, social theory (especially decolonial perspectives), qualitative research methods, and social change in India.