Elizabeth Sine

Elizabeth Sine is a History Lecturer at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) within the College of Liberal Arts. She holds a Ph.D. in History from UC San Diego, an M.A. from Pepperdine University, and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara with highest honors. Her research focuses on social and cultural histories of racial formation, imperialism, and global capitalism in California and the U.S., with recent work exploring surfing's cultural politics and labor movements.

Dr. Sine has authored Rebel Imaginaries: Labor, Culture, and Politics in Depression-Era California (2021) and numerous articles examining topics like multiracial labor solidarity, transnational surfing culture, and 20th-century cultural politics. Her research has been supported by over 20 grants/fellowships including the California Humanities Project Grant (2022) and UC President’s Dissertation-Year Fellowship (2013-2014).

Teaching responsibilities include courses on U.S. History (201/202), California History (208), Modern America (322), and the unique History of Surfing (445). Professional affiliations include the Labor and Working-Class History Association, Western History Association, and North American Society for Sport History.