Skip to main content

Eli Kean

Assistant Professor of Instruction in Gender & Sexuality Studies | Adviser, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences

PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from Michigan State University

Eli Kean (they/them) is a Weinberg College Advisor and Assistant Professor of Instruction in Gender and Sexuality Studies. Dr. Kean earned a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri. Their Ph.D. is in Curriculum & Instruction from Michigan State University. Dr. Kean's interdisciplinary interests include anti-oppressive education, transgender studies, disability justice pedagogies, LGBTQ activism and social change. They serve as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Trans and Queer Issues in Education. Dr. Kean’s research is intended to help shape gendered educational practices in expansive and affirming directions. In every aspect of professional life, Dr. Kean finds great fulfillment in providing high-quality student support that centers holistic development, critical inquiry, and self-discovery. Eli is the recipient of the 2018 Dissertation of the Year award from AERA Queer Studies SIG for their work on gender-expansive teaching methods. At NU, Dr. Kean was nominated to NU’s Associated Student Government (ASG) Honor Roll in 2022, earned Honorable Mention in the Canvas Hall of Fame for Most Innovative Course and Excellence in DEI/Accessibility in 2024 and was inducted as an honorary member of Northwester’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 2024.

NU Courses:

GNDR_ST 101 Love as a Force for Social Justice: How and Why We Care

GNDR_ST 235 Beyond the Binary

GNDR_ST 390 Critical Trans Studies

Publications: 

  • Kean, E. (2025). Cisgender and Cisnormativity. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Education and Gender. SAGE Publications, Inc.
  • Kean, E. (2022). Genderism. In K.K. Strunk & S.A. Shelton (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Queer Studies in Education (pp. 211–217). Brill Publishers.
  • Kean, E., & Skrivan, P. (2022). Safe spaces and safe zone trainings. In K.K. Strunk & S.A. Shelton (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Queer Studies in Education (pp. 619–624). Brill Publishers.
  • Kean, E. (2021). Advancing a critical trans framework for education. Curriculum Inquiry, 51(2), 261-286. DOI: 10.1080/03626784.2020.1819147
  • Kean, E. (2020). Locating transgender within the language of queer in teacher education. Multicultural Perspectives, 22(2), 57-67.