Ashley Melcherts is a Black Surinamese Dutch woman, athlete, sociologist, and currently a PhD Candidate in the Sociology Department. Ashley is mostly concerned with how social inequalities at the intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender influence people’s sense of self to better understand how they navigate and resist systems of oppression. In her dissertation research, she puts identity formation in the larger context of processes such as racism and colorism by centering the lived experiences of Black Surinamese Dutch people. At Mississippi State, she has taught Intro to Sociology and Intro to Race & Ethnicity and currently works for the Social Science Research Center (SSRC).

Education

M.S. in Sociology, Mississippi State University

B.S. in Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam