Biography

Professor Oaster (he/him/them) joined the GVSU faculty in 2017, first as an adjunct, then as a visiting professor, and now as a senior adjunct professor. His research established a theoretical foundation for the study of cisgender fragility:  The stress that cisgender persons feel, and the defensive actions that they take upon encountering gender-identity-based discomfort, such as the presence of transgender or gender non-conforming persons in social spaces like the workplace, sports, education, or the lavatory. An undergraduate alumnus of GVSU, he received his M.A. in Sociology and Criminology from Western Michigan University.

Professor Oaster is a public sociologist, which means that his academic work is a connected to imagining what society might yet be, instead of only what it is or has been. This work is deeply rooted in community, public policy, political activism, and social movements – such as antiracism, voting rights, queer liberation, and more. For this reason, Professor Oaster considers himself a sociological generalist – seeking to build a broad base of knowledge to engage the complex and intersecting social problems of our times.