Christina Gómez, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Sociology, and Latino & Latin American Studies

Office: CLS-2092, Phone:  (773) 442-4161
E-mail: C-Gomez@neiu.edu

Years at Northeastern Illinois University: 2004 to present

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Education

Ph.D., Sociology, 1998, Harvard University

M.A., Sociology, 1994, Harvard University

M.B.A., Marketing & Behavioral Science, 1987, University of Chicago

B.A., Romance languages & Literatures, 1985, University of Chicago

Professional Interests

My research focuses on the construction of identity, specifically race and ethnicity. I also work on social inequalities, skin color discrimination, and immigration. My book (with A. Garrod and R. Kilkenny), Mi Vida, Mi Voz: Latino College Students Tell Their Stories (Cornell University Press, 2007), is an edited anthology of fifteen essays written by students about growing up Latino in this country. The essays offer insights that are both balanced and frank, blending personal, anecdotal, political, and cultural viewpoints. The unifying thread for the book is the experience of Latino students adapting, sometimes with difficulty, to a challenging educational environment and a cultural context sometimes very different from their childhood ones. Currently I am working on two projects: I am completing my manuscript on how Latinos have been racialized in the United States; and I am working with a research group at NEIU on the experience of migrant students in higher education.

Teaching Interests

Introduction to Sociology, Race & Ethnic Relations, Statistics, Sociology of the Latina, and History & Culture of Latinos in the U.S.

Recent Scholarly Publications

• “’We are not like them:’ Social Distancing and Realignment in the Racial Hierarchy.”21st Century Color Lines: Multicultural Multiracial Change in Contemporary America, edited by Grant-Thomas, Andrew and Gary Orfield, Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2008.
• "Brown Outs: The Role of Skin Color and Latinas.” Racism in 21st Century America, edited by Ronald E. Hall, Springer Press, 2008.
• "Assimilation vs. Multiculturalism: Bilingual Education and the Latino Challenge," with J. Burdick-Will, Journal of Latinos and Education, July 2006.
• "Ethnic Relations, Class, and Latino Political Participation." Journal of Latino and Latin American Studies, Spring 2004, vol 1 (2), p.19-32.
• "The Continual Significance of Skin Color: An Exploratory Study of Latinos in the Northeast" Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, February 2000, vol. 22, no.1, p. 94-103.
• "Choosing Hispanic Identity: Ethnic Identity Switching among Respondents in High School and Beyond." Social Science Quarterly, March 1998, vol.79, no. 1, p. 74-90 (with Karl Eschbach).

Recent Presentations

• “Latinos in the United States,” The Ancona School, Teacher Development Workshop, Chicago, December 10, 2008.
• “The Act of Dreaming: Undocumented University Students,” 22nd Annual HACU Conference, Denver, CO, October 12, 2008.
• “Immigration and Social Justice,”14th Annual Equity in Action Conference, NEIU, Chicago, October 14, 2008.
• “Minority Students in the Academy,” Cutter Shabazz Students, Dartmouth College, August 7, 2008.
• “Thinking About College,” Mujeres Latinas in Acción, Chicago, IL, May 29, 2008.
• “Latinos in Community Colleges,” Faculty Development Workshop, Morton College, Berwyn, IL, May 2, 2008
• “Understanding Undocumented Children,” Chicago Center for Urban Life & Culture, Chicago, IL May 23, 2008.
• “Latinos in the Ivy League,” Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, November 10, 2007.
• "Latinos in Education," Latino Engagement Community Council, Copley Theater, Aurora, Illinois, September 23, 2007.
• “Changing Notions of Identity: Latinos and Race Choice.” Cumbre 2007: Understanding Immigration and the Changing Communities of the Americas, Omaha, NB. April 28, 2007.
• “Brown Outs: The Role of Skin Color and Latinas.” American Educational Research Association (AERA), Chicago, IL, April 13, 2007.
• “How to Succeed in Academia.” Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education (ILACHE), Chicago, IL, March 9, 2007.
• “A Return to Plessy? A Roundtable dialogue on the implications of voluntary desegregation Supreme Court cases.” African, African American, Native American, Caribbean and the Americas Heritage Conference, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL, January 29, 2007.
• "Colorism: Global Perspectives on How Color Still Matters," Penn State University, April 20, 2006.
• "Crossing Fronteras: Successful Latino Students Tell Their Stories," Midwest Sociological Association, Omaha, NB, March 2006.

Recent Professional Service

• Reviewer, Social Forces, American Sociological Review
• Member, Latin American Studies Association
• Member, Midwest Sociological Society

Recent Community Involvement

• 2007-2008 Metropolitan Leadership Institute (MLI)
• Member of Spanish Department Committee at The Ancona School
• Team Parent helper for AYSO Soccer in Hyde Park.
• Volunteer for the Hyde Park School of Ballet.

Links

• Book: Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Life Stories
• Article: Assimilation Versus Multiculturalism: Bilingual Education and the Latino Challenge
• Article: Choosing Hispanic Identity: Ethnic Identity Switching among Respondents to High School and Beyond
• Article: The Continual Significance of Skin Color: An Exploratory Study of Latinos in the Northeast