Rhea Ashley Hoskin, PhD
Dr. Rhea Ashley Hoskin is an interdisciplinary feminist sociologist whose work focuses on Critical Femininities, Femme Theory, and femmephobia (i.e., the devaluation and regulation of femininity across bodies and identities). Her work examines perceptions of femininity and sources of prejudice rooted in the devaluation or regulation of femininity. Dr. Hoskin is an AMTD Global Talent Postdoctoral Fellow, a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow, and a former Ontario Women’s Health Scholar at the University of Waterloo, where she is cross-appointed to the departments of Sociology & Legal Studies, and Sexuality, Marriage, & Family Studies. She completed her MA in Gender Studies and her PhD in Sociology from Queen’s University. In 2019, she was awarded the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal at Queen’s University for her doctoral work.
Dr. Hoskin has published extensively on femme identities, femme theory, femmephobia, and critical femininities. Her scholarly goals revolve around unifying and moving the field of Femininities forward. Her work has been published in journals such as Archives of Sexual Behavior; Journal of Lesbian Studies; Psychology & Sexuality, Sex Roles, Journal of Social & Personal Relationships; Atlantis; Fat Studies; Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality; Women’s Studies International Forum; and The Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. She is an Associate Editor for Psychology & Sexuality and founding Editor of the Journal of Femininities.
Dr. Hoskin’s two recent books entitled “Feminizing Theory: Making Space for Femme Theory” (Routledge, 2021) and “Critical Femininities” represent monumental steps forward in the field of Femme Studies, moving from femme as an identity (and narrative-based works) to femme as a theoretical framework used to understand gender, power and society more broadly.