Emma Fuentes

Emma Fuentes, Professor in the International and Multicultural Education Department at the University of San Francisco. Her research encompasses the areas of critical social theory, racial justice and education, and movement building praxes. As a scholar, she is deeply committed to humanizing praxes grounded in solidarity and justice. Her work investigates the ways that communities marginalized based on race, class, language, or immigration status organize themselves and engage in active citizenship. Overall her scholarship has two key objectives: 1) to conduct research that is local and collaborative and leads to socially just education, and 2) to expand theoretical and conceptual lenses in the areas of critical social theory and racial justice in education.

• Critical social theory
• Racial justice and equity in education
• Movement building praxes
• Grassroots organizing for school change

• IME Department Chair

• UC Berkeley, Social and Cultural Studies in Ed, PhD, 2005
• UC Berkeley, Social and Cultural Studies in Ed, MA, 2001
• UCSC Cultural Anthropology, BA

• 2016 University of San Francisco, Sarlo Prize for Teaching Excellence

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• Philoxene, D., Koon, D., & Fuentes, E. (2024). Crafting homeplace in the academic borderlands: Humanizing education, research and relationships. Teachers College Press.
• Fuentes, E. & Canlas, M. (2024). Homeplace story-telling: Theorizing for and from home. In Crafting homeplace in the academic borderlands. Teachers College Press.
• Fuentes, E. & Cann, C. (2021). A school of education curricular response to anti-Blackness. International Journal of Human Rights Education, 5(1).

• Fuentes, E. & Pérez, M. A. (2016) Our stories are our sanctuary: Testimonio as a sacred space of belonging. Association of Mexican American Educators (AMAE) Journal, 10(2).

• Fuentes, E. (2013) Political Mothering: Latina and African American Mothers in the Struggle for Educational Justice. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 44(3).
• Fuentes, E.  (2012) Critical Race Praxis and Grassroots Community Organizing for School Change. Urban Review, 44(5).
• Noguera, P., Fuentes, E., Sanchez, P. & Darder, A. (2012). Liberating Ourselves: Agency, Resistance and Possibilities for Change among Latino/a Students, Educators and Parents. Journal of the Association of Mexican American Educators, 6(1).
• Fuentes, E & Koirala-Azad, S. (eds.) (2012). Introduction: Human Rights Education Praxis, 24(1).
• Fuentes, E, Koirala-Azad, S. & Katz, S. (2012). Graduate Studies in Human Rights Education: Extending the Social Justice Discourse in Higher Education, 24(1).
• Fuentes, E. (2011) Practicing Citizenship: Latino Parents Broadening Notions of Citizenship Through Participatory Research Journal of Latino Studies, 9(4).
• Koirala-Azad, S and Fuentes, E. (Eds). (2009/2010) Introduction: Activist scholarship—Possibilities and constraints of Participatory Action Research. Social Justice Journal, 36(4).
• Fuentes, E. (2009/2010) Learning Power and Building Community: Parent-Initiated Participatory Action Research as a Tool for Organizing Community In Koirala-Azad, S. & Fuentes, E. (Eds.)
• Activist scholarship: Possibilities and constraints of Participatory Action Research. Social Justice Journal, 36(4).
• Katz, S., Arriaza, G., & Fuentes, E. (Eds.) (2005). Waging War over Public Education and Youth Services: Challenging Corporate Control of Our Schools and Communities. Social Justice Journal, 32(3).
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Non-Refereed Articles

•  Routé-Chatmon, L., Scott-George, K., Okahara, A., Fuentes, E., Yonemura Wing, J., & Noguera, P., (2006) Creating Demand for Equity: Three Theories for Transforming the Role of Parents in Schools In Voices of Urban Education, No. 13.
• Fuentes, E. (2011) VOCES Latinas: Re-imagining Latino Parent Involvement In Divisadero: Latin@s in Education.

Invited Book Chapters

• Fuentes, E. (2014) Practicing Citizenship: Latino Parents Broadening Notions of Citizenship Through Participatory Research In Darder, A. & R.D. Torres (eds.) Latinos And Education: A Critical Reader (second edition). New York: Routledge.
• Fuentes, E. & Liou, D. (2006).  Language, Culture, and Access.  In Noguera, P. & Yonemura-Wing, J. (Eds.)  Unfinished Business: One School’s Effort to Close the Racial Achievement Gap. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.
• Scott-George, K., Route-Chatmon, L., Okahara, A., & Fuentes, E.. (2006).  Creating Demand for Equity: Transforming the Role of Parents in Schools. In Noguera J. & Yonemura-Wing, J. (Eds.) Unfinished Business: One School’s Effort to Close the Racial Achievement Gap. San Francisco.