Specialization:
Keywords: intergroup/interpersonal, discrimination after death, end-of-life communication
My primary areas of interest revolve around the trans experience, including aging, death and dying, intergenerational interactions, and media portrayals.
Education:
Stephenson Brooks Whitestone is a Ph.D. student in the Communication Department at UCSB. They received their B.S. in Marketing (with a minor in English) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and their M.S. in Radio, Television, and Film from Syracuse University.
Research:
Through an innovative application of the Communication Theory of Identity, my research explores instances in which the post-mortem identities of marginalized individuals are distorted or erased by agents associated with the dominant culture. My work specifically examines the troubling phenomenon of de-transitioning transgender people after their deaths.
Projects:
Dissertation: “Transgender Identity After Death: A Theoretical Examination of Inaccurate Post-Mortem Identity Enactments.” Dissertation defense June 2022.