Colloquium: “Ethnic Studies as Praxis: Organizing, Policy, and Collective Power at the Sacramento Frontline” by Giselle Cunanan
Join the UCR Department of Ethnic Studies for our colloquium speaker series
Monday, June 1, 2026
1:00-2:00 p.m.
CHASS INTN 3023
Centering storytelling, memory, and critical praxis as both research methods and political commitments, Dr. Giselle Cunanan’s work examines the ongoing tensions between academic freedom, multicultural inclusion, and state efforts to contain Ethnic Studies. Drawing from organizing and policy advocacy in Sacramento, this talk explores how debates over civil rights, censorship, and public education shape the future of Ethnic Studies in both K–12 and higher education. Her research foregrounds the coalitions of students, educators, and community organizers working to defend Ethnic Studies as a tool of social transformation rooted in critical analyses of power, collective struggle, and community self-determination.
 |
Giselle Cunanan is an Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies at California State University, Sacramento. Her research examines the political struggles surrounding Ethnic Studies, documenting the racial labor of organizers and tracing how Ethnic Studies has taken shape within schools, universities, and public debates over race, democracy, and education. Her broader scholarly interests explore the afterlives of U.S. empire and militarization as they shape the political, social, and educational experiences of Filipinx communities across the Pacific and within California. |