Amy Brainer, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies. Director, Women's and Gender Studies Program; Director, LGBTQ Studies Certificate Program
Amy Brainer
College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
College-Wide Programs
312-218-8837
Summer II 2023 - Tuesday 2:00pm-3:00pm (in person) & Thursday 12:00pm-1:00pm (via Zoom)

Teaching Areas:

LGBTQ Studies, Women's & Gender Studies

Research Areas:

Family, Immigrants / Immigration, Queer Studies, Taiwan, Transgender Studies

Biography and Education

Dr. Brainer studies queer and trans family issues in Taiwan and in transnational contexts. Her first book, Queer Kinship and Family Change in Taiwan (Rutgers, 2019), received the 2019 Ruth Benedict Prize from the Association for Queer Anthropology. Her current research follows queer and trans individuals and couples as they navigate marriage-based immigration to the United States. At UM-Dearborn, Dr. Brainer is Coordinator of the LGBTQ Studies Certificate and teaches a number of courses in the program, including Sexualities, Genders, and Bodies (WGST/HUM/SOC 366), LGBTQ Religious Experience (WGST/RELS/SOC 388), Family, Sexuality, and Human Rights (WGST/ANTH/SOC 451), and Hope and Joy in Queer and Trans Lives (FNDS 1602).