Pauline Strong does research on the humanities and higher education today. She has published on the representation of Native American cultures and identities in North American literature, scholarship, film, art, museums, sports events, legislation, social movements and youth organizations. Her current research concerns the role that 20th-century youth organizations played in the development of racialized and gendered U.S. citizens.

Strong is the author of "American Indians and the American Imaginary: Cultural Representation Across the Centuries" (2012) and "Captive Selves, Captivating Others: The Politics and Poetics of Colonial American Captivity Narratives" (1999). She is also co-editor (with Sergei Kan) of "New Perspectives on Native North America: Cultures, Histories, Representations" (2006). Her articles appear in journals and anthologies in the fields of American Studies, cultural studies, history, media studies, Native American Studies, sports studies, as well as anthropology.

Strong also directs the Humanities Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, which offers a variety of programs for interdisciplinary intellectual engagement across the campus and community. Previously she served as President of the Society for Cultural Anthropology and Councilor of the American Society for Ethnohistory. Her community service includes serving as President and Director of the Board of the Balcones Council of Camp Fire USA.