Sunnie Rucker-Chang works, writes, and researches on the social construction of race and culture as it relates to privileged and marginalized communities in Central and Southeast Europe. In her research, Rucker-Chang focuses on how literature and film contribute to culture and nationalist identities, especially in the creation and maintenance of racialized communities in Southeast Europe. Her other research interests include émigré and exile literature and the application of post-colonial thought to post-socialist contexts. Her research has been funded by the American Association of University Women, Taft Research Center, and University Research Council.

She is Co-director and Co-PI of the Howard University Undergraduate Think Tank. This program addresses the issue of systemic racism and discrimination by supporting and promoting the advancement of students and scholars from underrepresented and underserved populations in the field of REEES. She is also Co-director of the University of Cincinnati’s STARTALK Russian language programs.

Sample Publications:

Cultures of Mobility and Alterity: Crossing the Balkans and Beyond by Yana Hashamova, Oana Popescu-Sandu, and Sunnie Rucker-Chang (Liverpool University Press, 2022)

Roma Rights and Civil Rights: A Transatlantic Comparison by Felix B. Chang and Sunnie T. Rucker-Chang (Cambridge University Press, 2020)

Chinese Migrants in Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.  Felix B. Chang (Editor), Sunnie T. Rucker-Chang (Editor) (Routledge, 2012)

Curriculum Vitae