PhD Candidate in Sociology · Emory University
Temi Bianca Alao
A sociologist studying race, immigration, and the status hierarchies that shape belonging, from Atlanta to Paris.
Atlanta, GA Paris, FR
About
“Let the beauty we love be what we do.”
Rumi
A scholar of race, diaspora, and belonging
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Education
Academic path
Ph.D., Sociology
Emory University
Dissertation: “Status Hierarchies of Black France” · Advisor: Karida Brown
M.A., Sociology
University of Florida
Thesis: “Diasporic Consciousness in African Immigrant Politics”
B.A., Psychology (Minor in Sociology)
Rice University
Visiting Scholar · 2026
Sciences Po, Center for Research on Social Inequalities (Paris)
Doctoral Exchange · 2026
Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3
Research areas
What I study
My research evaluates how macro-level structures such as racial capitalism, Western modernity, and status are reified in the lives of ethnoracial minorities and immigrants across the globe.
Current research · Dissertation
Status Hierarchies of Black France
My dissertation uses interview and network-analysis methods to examine how status beliefs about Black immigrants from the United States and francophone African and Caribbean countries living in Paris and Montpellier produce inequalities in economic incorporation, social influence in the workplace, and status attainment. It synthesizes sociological approaches to race with social-psychological theories of status to show how intra-racial inequalities persist in a supposedly “race-less” context.
Selected publications
Writing & research
Peer-reviewed articles
Diasporic Consciousness in African Immigrants’ Support for #BlackLivesMatter
The impact of organizational statements of support for the Black community on organizational attraction and revenue
Book chapter
Criminal Justice Contact and Housing Inequality
Selected works in progress
National Identity in the Trumpism Era: A Du Boisian Examination of Identity Change
Racial Capitalism
Recognition
Awards & fellowships
$16K
2026 ASA DDRIG Research Scholar
ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants, American Sociological Association (2026–2027)
2025
Outstanding Doctoral Student
Laney Graduate School, Emory University
2025
Graduate Teaching Award
Department of Sociology, Emory University
Fellowships & grants
Awards
In the classroom & beyond
Teaching & talks
Courses taught
Invited lectures & presentations
Get in touch
Let’s connect
Open to research collaborations, talks, and conversations about race, immigration, and belonging.