Cait Parker is a 20th-century social and cultural historian specializing in the histories of women, gender, and sexuality in the United States, with a focus on the history of the carceral state. She received her BA in History and MA in English from Radford University in Virginia, where she trained in feminist theory and historical literary criticism. In 2024, Parker earned her doctoral degree in American Studies from Purdue University, where she examined lesbian activism in the history of the prison abolition movement.
Parker’s interdisciplinary research focuses on activism by incarcerated lesbian and queer women through prison exposés, poetry, visual and performing arts, and the underground press, supplemented with oral histories she conducted with formerly incarcerated political prisoners. Parker was awarded the Writers and Artists Grant from the Gay and Lesbian Review, allowing her to publish an article in the publication.
Beyond her primary focus on the history of women, gender, and sexuality, Parker’s research and teaching interests include the history of the New Right and modern conservatism in the U.S., as well as the intersection of public history and carceral tourism.
Courses
HIST 141 Modern American History
HIST 200 Origins of Feminist Thought
HIST 213 Race and Ethnicity in the United States
HIST 215 Women and Gender in U.S. History (to 1890)
HIST 239 Sexuality and the Family
HIST 560 History of Women & Gender: Gender, Sexuality, & the Carceral State
HIST 574: Modern U.S. History
HIST 575: Cold War Culture