Temi AlaoGraduate Student

My research is driven by questions that evaluate how macro-social structures (such as status, racial capitalism, modernity) shape the lived experiences of individuals across the globe—namely, ethnoracial minorities and immigrants in the United States and France. Specifically, I am interested in how these structures (I) influence subjectivity and identity, and (II) foster difference and inequality.
 
I draw on Du Boisian theories and social psychological frameworks (such as identity theory and status characteristics theory) and use survey, experimental, and interview methods in my work.
 
My dissertation, "Status Hierarchies of Black France," employs social network analysis, a vignette experiment, and qualitative interviews to examine how status (perceived competence and worthiness) shapes hierarchical relations among Black immigrants from the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean residing in France. In my analysis, I develop the concept of “Black status hierarchy” to explain how these migrants’ national origins shape their perceived status and subsequent inequalities in workplace social influence and status attainment (network mobilization for upward mobility). This research is supported by the ASA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant and was recognized with an award from the Emory Laney Graduate School Social Sciences Division.

 

Alao, Temi. (Work in progress). What Matters Most for Immigrants’ Status Attainment?
Alao, Temi. (Under review). Immigrant Selectivity in the Public Sphere: A Discourse Network Analysis Approach. (at Ethnic and Racial Studies)
Alao, Temi. (2026). National Identity in the Trumpism Era: A Du Boisian Examination of Identity Prominence and Change. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 1-25.
Alao, Temi. (2023). Diasporic Consciousness in African Immigrants’ Support for #BlackLivesMatter. Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1017/rep.2023.10