Ruby C. Tapia

Ruby C. Tapia is an Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Virginia. She also serves as Associate Chair of American Studies and Director of the AMST Graduate Certificate. Her work intersects photography theory, feminist and critical race theory, and critical prison studies, with a focus on carceral aesthetics and reproductive justice.

• Ph.D. and M.A. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, San Diego
• B.A. in English and Africana Studies from Cornell University

Her research centers on the visual and material cultures of incarceration, exemplified by her book American Pietàs and the forthcoming The Camera in the Cage. She co-edits the University of California book series Reproductive Justice: New Visions for the 21st Century.

Tapia is a lead faculty member for the Critical Carceral Visualities component of the Documenting Criminalization and Confinement project, supported by University of Michigan grants. She has facilitated creative writing workshops in correctional facilities through the Prison Creative Arts Project.