The McKnight Doctoral Fellowship program provides financial support, mentorship, and professional development to Doctoral students of Color who attend one of nine participating institutions.  LaToya Leary will use the fellowship to investigate constructions of social identity in early Jewish texts. Her latest research explores ancient notions of masculinity and its role in constructing social norms that highlight and other societal “anomalies” (women, various ethnicities, children, the disabled). Her goal is to further uncover perceptions that structured ancient societies to reduce the perpetuation of societal constructions that fuel modern day oppression.