Gabby Perez
Biography
Gabby was born in Oceanside, California and grew up 14 miles away in Encinitas. The only child of a single mother from Tepatlaxco, Puebla, Gabby was a quiet child who found comfort in stand-up comedy. Her need for storytelling and narrative-making allowed her to watch the world as a spectator. This shaped her into the ethnographer and historian she is today. Still captivated by life narratives, her research focuses on reconstructing the religious lives of historically marginalized communities. When she isn’t going through archival material or interviewing folks, you’ll find her at the local comedy club.
Her research, bridging the fields of Religious Studies and Chicanx Studies, has been supported by numerous organizations, including the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, and the Portman Endowment in Catholic Theology.
Prospective students are encouraged to reach out.
Education
University of California, Los Angeles, PhD in Chicana/o and Central American Studies, 2021 to Present
Harvard University, Divinity School, Master of Theological Studies, 2018
University of California, Riverside, BA in Religious Studies, 2016
Research
United States Catholic history; Mexican American Catholicism; Chicanxs and Catholicism; religion in US history; 20th and 21st century US history; decolonizing religion; religion and protest; Latinx religion; Liberation Theology; teologia indigena; autobiography, memoir, and memory; public history; institutional history; archival research; ethnography.
Selected Publications
- Pérez, Gabriela “Catholic Dimensions: John F. Kennedy Corridos as a Site of Mourning and Memory-Making among Mexican Americans in Texas,” Catholic Southwest: 34, (2023): 47-52.
- Pérez, Gabriela “Meditating with Kali, Tlaloc and Guadalupe: Making Sense of the Sacred in
Chicanx Studies,” Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology: Vol. 24 : No. 2 , Article 9.
(2022):190-216.
Honors & Awards
- Carlos E. Castañeda Award for outstanding service to the Texas Catholic Historical Society by revamping their biannual newsletter, the Texas Catholic Historian, March 7, 2024.
- Portman Research Award, Portman Endowment in Catholic Theology, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego, June 7, 2022.
- Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship, UCLA, 2021-2022.
- Cushwa Center Research Travel Grant. Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism. University of Notre Dame, 2018.
- Dean’s Fellowship, Harvard University, 2016-2018.
- Academic Excellence Award in Religious Studies by Religious Studies Department. University of California, Riverside, 2016.
- Awarded Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship. The Center for Ideas and Society. University of California, Riverside, 2015.
Courses
Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles, 2022-2023
- Introduction to Chicana/Chicano Studies: History and Culture, Fall 2022
- Introduction to Chicana/Chicano Studies: Social Structure and Contemporary Condition, Winter 2023
- Theoretical Concepts in Chicana/Chicano Studies, Spring 2023
- Health in Chicano/Latino Population, Summer 2023
Associate Instructor, University of California, Los Angeles, 2023-2024
- Barrio Organization and Service Learning, Fall 2023
- Censored! Art on Trial, Winter 2024
- Barrio Organization and Service Learning, Spring 2024
- Introduction to Chicana/Chicano Studies: History and Culture, Summer 2024
