Ashleigh N Williams

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Modern Europe; Military History and Societies; Race, Gender, and Non-conforming Sexualities

Ashleigh Williams is a PhD student at George Mason University, studying 20th century Germany, race and gender. Her specific research foci are the experiences of Black Germans, migrant populations, women, youth and state socialism in (East) Germany’s post-World War II period.

She is concurrently a Graduate Teaching Assistant at GMU and concurrently working on her dissertation "Picture Perfect Solidarity? Race, Socialist Internationalism, and Postcolonial Worldmaking in East Germany." She previously studied at Texas State University (BA International Relations) and Sam Houston State University (MA History).

Grants and Fellowships

U.S. Fulbright Research Fellowship Semi-Finalist (2026-2027)

Berlin Program Dissertation Fellowship (2026-2027)

Courses Taught

History 125 Recitation: Introduction to Global History

Education

B.A. in International Relations, Texas State University (2012)

M.A. in History, Sam Houston State University (2021)

Recent Presentations

"Out and About in Old Town: Uncovering LGBTQ+ History in Alexandria, VA" -- Historical Urgency, 2024 NCPH Annual Meeting

"Sch-einheit und Solidarität: Picturing Race in East German Nation-Building and Musings on Digital Dissertations" -- RRCHNM (Fall 2025)

"More than a Buzzword: Critical Approaches to Race in Historical Narratives" -- HGSO Symposium (April 2026)

"Ich bin Bummi, dein neuer Freund: Pre-Political Youth Subjectivities in East German Socialism" -- Center for Mason Legacies