Javier Arbona-Homar

Javier Arbona-Homar is a faculty member in the Department of American Studies at the University of California, Davis, within the College of Letters and Science. He is actively involved in research, teaching, and public scholarship, focusing on the intersections of race, space, and power in urban contexts.

His research centers on environmental justice, racialized urban landscapes, and resistance to state and corporate violence. Key themes include:

• Black geographies and anti-Black spatial violence
• Neoliberal urbanism and waterfront development
• Carceral geography and policing
• Political ecology and environmental racism
• Architecture as a form of political expression and control

His recent work analyzes the transformation of waterfront spaces in Vallejo, California, as sites of both oppression and resistance, linking local struggles to broader patterns of racial and environmental injustice. He is also the author of the forthcoming book Explosivity: Following What Remains (University of Minnesota Press, 2025), which continues his exploration of memory, landscape, and resistance.

His publications reveal a consistent engagement with critical urban theory, political geography, and anti-racist praxis, particularly through collaborative work with scholars like Julie Sze. His scholarship bridges academic research with public advocacy and community engagement.

He advises American Studies undergraduate majors and is available for research collaboration, media inquiries, and graduate mentorship. He communicates in both English and Spanish and uses Signal for secure communication.

Selected Publication:

• Arbona-Homar, J., & Sze, J. (2024). Waterfront/battlefront: Vallejo's Black landscapes of resistance against police and environmental violence. In The Routledge Handbook of Architecture, Urban Space and Politics, Volume II.

He is actively contributing to critical conversations in urban studies and environmental justice, with upcoming public talks scheduled in 2025. No scientific awards or formal grants are mentioned in the provided texts.