Christine Bacareza Balance

Christine Bacareza Balance is an Associate Professor at Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, jointly appointed in Performing & Media Arts and Asian American Studies. Her scholarship interrogates Filipino and Filipino American cultural production through lenses of performance studies, sound analysis, and critical theory.

Education

• Ph.D. in Performance Studies, New York University (2007)
• M.A. in Performance Studies, New York University (2000)
• B.A. in Ethnic Studies, University of California Berkeley (1999)

Her research traces how Filipino diasporic communities construct cultural memory through musical performance, media representation, and embodied acts. Key projects include analyzing the Marcos regime's sensory politics and mapping digital affective labor in Asian American YouTube content. Current book Making Sense of Martial Law examines cultural critiques of authoritarianism.

Scientific Awards

• 2023 Cornell Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service through Diversity
• 2018 AAAS Best First Book Award
• 2014-15 Cornell Society for the Humanities Fellow
• 2012-13 Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow

Balancing academic rigor with creative practice, Balance co-edits artist-scholar anthologies and collaborates with LA-based media organizations. She's also one-eighth of indie rock band The Jack Lords Orchestra, demonstrating interdisciplinary engagement across performance forms.