Alfredo Carlos

Dr. Alfredo Carlos serves as Assistant Professor of Labor Studies within the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), where he leverages his deep roots in the LA/LB Harbor immigrant working-class community to advance economic and racial justice through academic and activist work.

His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Political Science from UC Irvine (specializing in Political Economy and American Racial/Urban Politics), an M.A. in Political Science from CSU Long Beach (Comparative Politics/International Relations), and a B.A. in History and Chicano Studies from UC Santa Barbara. Prior institutional roles include Interim Director of Chicano Studies at Eastern Washington University (2021-2022) and Political Science faculty at CSU Long Beach (2013-2022).

Dr. Carlos's research program critically examines Political Economy, Labor and Inequality, Economic Democracy, and Latino Politics through frameworks of worker/community ownership. His work directly informs his leadership of the Foundation for Economic Democracy, which promotes democratic business models as pathways to economic justice. His co-authored book The Latino Question (2018) received the American Political Science Association's 'Best Book in Latino Politics' award in 2019.

His notable recognition includes:

• Best Book in Latino Politics (2019) from the American Political Science Association for The Latino Question

Dr. Carlos maintains strong community ties through the Foundation for Economic Democracy, creating student opportunities in worker cooperative development and community land trusts. His mentorship focuses on connecting CSUDH students—many from similar working-class backgrounds—to social justice initiatives across the LA/Harbor regions. Current projects include new publications on the Latino Working Class examining intersections of labor, immigration, and racial justice.

As a native of Carson, he views his CSUDH position as 'coming home,' prioritizing student engagement with practical economic democracy initiatives that transform communities through worker ownership models and community-controlled resources.