Sarah D. Wald

Sarah D. Wald is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies & English at the University of Oregon's College of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as Director of Graduate Admissions for the English program. Her research focuses on environmental justice, Latinx and Asian American cultural studies, and food systems, with a particular emphasis on farmworker rights and migration narratives. She holds a Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in American Studies from Brown University and Reed College respectively.

Wald's academic work bridges environmental humanities with critical race theory, examining issues like decolonial frameworks in outdoor spaces, food justice, and the intersection of labor and citizenship. She has published extensively, including co-editing volumes such as Latinx Environmentalisms and authoring The Nature of California. Her research collaborations include the Tierra Viva Collaborative and the Northwest Forest Plan Just Futures initiative.

Her teaching focuses on inclusive pedagogy and community-based learning, including developing the UO Common Reading Program's Under the Feet of Jesus guide. She actively engages in public scholarship through symposia like the Race, Environmental Justice and Public Lands Symposium and digital humanities projects like Racial Ecologies of Mt. Hood National Forest.

Wald's scholarly contributions span peer-reviewed articles, edited collections, and interdisciplinary projects addressing environmental equity, transmedia narratives, and racialized access to natural spaces. Her work consistently integrates activism, literature, and policy analysis to advance justice-centered environmental scholarship.