Leslie Houts Picca

Associate Professor
Full-Time Faculty
College of Arts and Sciences: Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work

Profile

Dr. Leslie Houts Picca is an Associate Professor of Sociology. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology, and Women's Studies and Gender Research Graduate Certificate from the University of Florida. She joined the faculty in 2005.

The Faculty Perspective

I am currently working on a follow-up book to Two-Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage (with Dr. Joe R. Feagin). In the first book, we examine the apparent inconsistencies in the presentation of white racial attitudes, using data gathered from the diaries and journals of a thousand students recruited across the U.S. We now are focusing on the diaries and journals written by students of color, especially those at predominately white institutions. From a symbolic interactionist perspective, we’re interested in how our conceptualization of the "frontstage" and "backstage" of racial events impacts students of color.

Degrees

  • Ph.D., University of Florida

Research Interests

  • Symbolic interactionism
  • Race and ethnicities
  • Structures of privilege (especially whiteness)
  • Sociology of sexualities

Selected Publications

Two-Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage. Routledge, 2007 (with Joe R. Feagin)

"Unmasking Racism: Halloween Costuming and Engagement of the Racial Other." Qualitative Sociology 30(3):315-335. (2007, with Jennifer C. Mueller and Danielle Dirks)

"But Was It Wanted? Women's First Voluntary Sexual Intercourse." Journal of Family Issues. (2005)

Media Expertise