Takeo Rivera

Dr. Takeo Rivera is an Associate Professor of English at Boston University, specializing in performance studies, queer theory, and Asian American studies. He holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and BA/MA degrees from Stanford University. His research explores intersections of race, gender, and new media in U.S. cultural production, particularly through video games and theater.

Dr. Rivera is the author of Model Minority Masochism: Performing the Cultural Politics of Asian American Masculinity (Oxford UP, 2022), which won the 2024 Honorable Mention in Media, Performance, and Visual Studies from the Association for Asian American Studies. His work has appeared in Performance Research, ASAP/Journal, and Amerasia Journal, among others. He is also a playwright whose works have been performed in major U.S. cities and recognized by prestigious theater festivals.

He teaches courses on contemporary drama, queer theory, and critical ethnic studies. His affiliations include core faculty roles in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Program, and advisory roles for the Asian Student Union and Untangle zine. He has held a faculty fellowship at Harvard’s Charles Warren Center and received the BU Outstanding Mentor Award for UROP.

Dr. Rivera’s research bridges academic and public spheres, with commentary featured in Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, and Wired. Before academia, he worked as a rape crisis counselor in California.