Douglas Crimp, professor of visual and cultural studies at the University of Rochester, has received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation for the study of sexuality, gender, health and human rights.
He will be one of two fellows working on an interdisciplinary approach to these basic human issues through a year of residency at Columbia University's School of Public Health. Crimp will apply his expertise in cultural studies with an emphasis on sexuality and AIDS to issues of lesbian and gay rights.
"I want to bridge the divide between theories of sexuality as they exist in the academy, and lesbian and gay politics in the arenas of activism and public policy," said Crimp, who is currently acting chair of the Department of Art and Art History. Through the fellowship, Crimp will have the opportunity to study international human rights and other areas where sexuality has a place, but may not be seen as a major component of policies or programs.
Crimp is the author of several books about contemporary art and cultural representations of AIDS. Since 1995, he has been a professor of art history and visual and cultural studies at Rochester. He earned his bachelor's degree in art history from Tulane University and his doctoral degree in art history from City University of New York.
Begun last year, Columbia University's Program for the Study of Sexuality, Gender, Health and Human Rights, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, brings scholars and advocates together to view these topics in a more integrated way and establish areas of mutual concern and future action.