Joan Ostrove

Joan Ostrove received her BA from Williams College, and her PhD in Psychology and a Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan.  Her research concerns the connections between individual psychology and social structure. She is interested in the ways in which our positions in the social structure (specifically with respect to gender, social class, race, and disability), and at particular historical moments, shape our individual psychological experiences. Her current research examines alliances across differences of social identity (e.g., between people of color and white people, between people with disabilities and non-disabled people, and between Deaf and hearing people). In particular, she is interested in the qualities that members of non-dominant groups look for in a potential dominant-group ally.