Evelyn M. Simien

Africana Studies Institute Director and Professor of Political Science

African American Politics, Public Opinion, Political Behavior

Ph.D. Purdue University

Evelyn M. Simien is Professor of Political Science.  She is also affiliated with the following academic units: Social and Critical Inquiry, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, and American Studies. Professor Simien is the author or editor of over 50 publications, including books, book chapters, journal articles, review essays, policy reports, public facing scholarship, grants, etc. Her first book, Black Feminist Voices in Politics (SUNY Press, 2006), examined black feminist consciousness and its effect on political behavior using national survey data. Her second book, Gender and Lynching (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2011), focused on African American women who suffered racial-sexual violence at the hands of lynch mobs in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her third book, Historic Firsts: How Symbolic Empowerment Changes U.S. Politics (Oxford University Press, 2015), considers whether candidates like Shirley Chisholm in 1972 and Jesse Jackson in 1984 as well as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2008 mobilize voters through emotional appeals while combating stereotypes and providing more inclusive representation. Her fourth book, Historic Firsts in U.S. Elections (Routledge, 2022), extends her theory of symbolic empowerment to the Trump era and focuses on barrier-breaking gubernatorial, congressional, and mayoral campaigns. A nationally recognized teacher, Professor Simien was awarded the 2006 Anna Julia Cooper Teacher of the Year Award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, and the 2007 Teaching Promise Award from the American Association of University Professors. She was also recognized as the 2017 Faculty Member of the Year by the UConn chapter of the NAACP. In 2024, Professor Simien was recognized as a Distinguished Purdue Alumni Scholar. The award is intended to recognize the doctoral alumni of Purdue who have made significant scholarly contributions within their chosen field and in doing so have contributed extensively to the advancement of women in academia. She teaches undergraduate and graduate classes—for example, African American Politics, Black Feminist Theory and Politics, Black Leadership and Civil Rights, as well as Race, Gender, and Ethnic Politics. 

Books

Select Publications in Refereed Journals 

  • Simien, Evelyn M., Thomas J. Hayes, and Carolyn Conway. 2024. “The Democratic Majority and the 2016 American Presidential Election: Feminist Political Behavior Across Multiple Axes of Identity.” Political Research Quarterly 77(10): 371-385.
  • Simien, Evelyn M., and Sophia Jordán Wallace. 2023. “The Impacts of Exclusion and Disproportionate Service on Women Academics and Faculty of Color in Political Science.” PS: Political Science & Politics, 56(2): 291-294.  
  • Simien, Evelyn M., and Sophia Jordán Wallace. 2022. “Disproportionate Service: Considering the Impacts of George Floyd’s Death and the Coronavirus Pandemic for Women Academics and Faculty of Color.” PS: Political Science & Politics, 55(4): 799-803.  
  • Simien, Evelyn M. 2022. “The 2018 Congressional Midterms, Symbolic Empowerment, and Ayanna Pressley’s Mobilizing Effect: A Case Study for Future Analysis of Historic Firsts.” Journal of Women, Politics, and Public Policy 43(3): 279-296.  
  • Simien, Evelyn M., and Sarah Cote Hampson. 2020. “Black Votes Count, But Do They Matter? Symbolic Empowerment and the Jackson-Obama Mobilizing Effect on Gender and Age Cohorts,” American Politics Research, 48(6): 725-737.

Book Chapter

  • (2025). “On Becoming a Black Woman Political Scientist: Rising to the Rank of Full Professor at a Major R1 Institution.” in Disrupting Political Science: Black Women Reimagining the Field, edited by Angela K. Lewis. Albany, NY: State University of New York (SUNY) Press. 

Public Facing Scholarship

  • Simien, Evelyn M. 2020. “COVID-19, and the Strong Black Woman,” Gender Policy Report, June 9.
    Contact Information
    Emailevelyn.simien@uconn.edu
    Groups