Karen Hanhee Lee

Welcome! 

I'm an Assistant Professor of Sociology at DePaul University. I received my Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2023. 

My research and teaching interests sit at the intersections of culture, politics, race/ethnicity, and social inequality. 

I am primarily interested in how cultural beliefs and ideas shape political and social outcomes. Some of my main projects have investigated belief systems related to race and the criminal legal system, their change over time, and their influence on political behavior and attitudes. I am also interested in the measurement of race and ethnicity and its impact on estimates of social inequality. Emerging projects focus on the causes and consequences of racial and political polarization.