Niels Teunis, Research Associate
Niels
Teunis, formerly a Research Associate at the CRGS, is an Assistant
Professor in Human Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State
University. Dr. Teunis received his Ph.D. in Anthropology
from Northwestern University in 2002. His work aims at understanding
social inequalities of many different types. Currently this
broad concern brings him to study racism in the gay male community
of the San Francisco Bay Area. As a socially committed researcher,
Dr. Teunis tries to find creative ways in which his work can
contribute directly to overcoming inequalities. To that end
he has produced two widely acclaimed plays combating racism
performed in and with the gay male community. Using participatory
action research methods, he has worked closely with Community
members as they authored their own voices these productions.
Prior to his work in the Bay Area, Dr. Teunis conducted research
in West Africa. His research on homosexuality in Dakar, Senegal
was the first ethnographic study on this topic in Sub-Saharan
Africa. Most recently, his dissertation research brought him
to Mali, where his goal was to understand the impact of colonial
domination on the current political stalemate in a small town.
At SFSU, Dr. Teunis teaches courses on cross-cultural sex
and gender, sexual cultures, sexual identities, introduction
to human sexuality studies, homophobia and coming out, among
others. Currently, Dr. Teunis is editing Sexual Inequalities
and Social Justice (to be published by University of California
Press), bringing together the contributions of many sexuality
researchers who are committed to positive social change through
their research, revealing the many intricate and changing
ways in which researchers are related to the communities with
whom they work. His work has appeared in AIDS Education and
Prevention, The Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identities,
and AIDS & Behavior.