Philana Jeremiah

Philana A. Jeremiah, a PhD Candidate and a GIS Graduate Teaching Associate in the School of Geography, Development & Environment. My research examines the politics of hair specifically for Black women regarding the complex geographic relationship between respectability politics, place/identity making, and power relations in the United States. My future research goals consist of mapping safe and accessible beauty salons and beauty supply stores at the regional level. This would consist of a collaborative bottom up approach to engage with the local community to visualize the beauty care industry. My long term research goals are to build a foundation for Hair geographies and to continue to study hair culture across the African Diaspora.

I obtained my masters in Development Practice at the University of Arizona, my research aimed to foster the idea of using geo-visual representation to preserve the beauty of the Eleuthera, Bahamas. I collaborated with the One Eleuthera Foundation and the Bahamas Plastic Movement. Prior to the University of Arizona, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography with a minor in geographic information systems with an emphasis in sustainable development at Georgia Southern University.