Martha Gonzalez

Martha Gonzalez is an Associate Professor in the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies at Scripps College, Claremont, where she also serves as the Director of the Scripps Humanities Institute. A scholar, artist, and activist, she is deeply engaged in public scholarship through music, performance, and community organizing. Her work bridges academia and grassroots movements, particularly through her leadership in the Grammy Award-winning band Quetzal and her role in fostering transnational cultural dialogues.

• PhD in Feminist Studies (Chicana Studies Emphasis), University of Washington, 2013
• BA in Ethnomusicology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1999
• Transfer, Pasadena City College, 1990-1993

Her research centers on the intersection of Chicana feminist theory, Chican@ music, transnational musical dialogues, and performance studies. She emphasizes collective songwriting and participatory music as tools for social justice and decolonial praxis. Her scholarly work is deeply informed by her lived experience as a musician and community organizer in East Los Angeles and transnational networks with Jarocho communities in Veracruz, Mexico.

The 15 most recent publications reflect a consistent engagement with themes of cultural resilience, feminist epistemology, and music as testimony. They span ethnographic analysis, critical reviews, and theoretical explorations, demonstrating her interdisciplinary approach across folklore, ethnomusicology, urban studies, and feminist theory. Her work frequently highlights marginalized voices and practices, from street vendors in Boyle Heights to incarcerated women.

Her scientific honors include:

• MacArthur Fellowship (2022)
• United States Artist (USA) Fellowship (2021)
• Grammy Award (2013)
• Fulbright Garcia-Robles Fellowship (2007-2008)
• Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellowship
• Multiple Scripps College research and teaching awards

Gonzalez has advised and co-founded several academic and artistic collectives, including Women Who Rock and The Seattle Fandango Project. She has secured research grants from the Mellon Foundation, California Arts Council, and the 5Cs Creativity and Innovation Initiative. Her leadership extends to board roles at Smithsonian Folkways Records and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Her personal musical artifacts are housed in the National Museum of American History, underscoring her cultural impact.