Melissa N. Stein

About the Author

Melissa N. Stein is a distinguished historian and scholar whose work illuminates the intricate intersections of race, gender, and science in American history. With a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, she has dedicated her career to unpacking how cultural and scientific narratives have shaped societal norms, particularly around masculinity and identity. Her groundbreaking book, Measuring Manhood: Race and the Science of Masculinity, 1830–1934, meticulously examines the pseudoscientific discourses that reinforced racial hierarchies through the lens of male embodiment during a pivotal era of industrialization and social upheaval. Stein's research draws on archival sources to reveal the enduring legacies of these ideas in contemporary discussions of race and gender. As an associate professor at the University of Kentucky, she continues to influence the fields of African American studies and the history of science through her incisive analyses and commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship.