Julie Thi Underhill

Julie Thi Underhill is a Senior Adjunct Professor in the Writing and Literature Program at California College of the Arts (CCA), where she teaches creative writing and advises Humble Pie, CCA's literary journal. Based in Berkeley, California, she is an interdisciplinary artist, author, and scholar whose work centers on Southeast Asian diasporas, particularly the Cham people of Vietnam and Cambodia. Her research and creative practice explore themes of memory, identity, war, and belonging through photography, literature, and ethnographic inquiry.

• BA, Liberal Arts, The Evergreen State College
• MA, Comparative Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Julie's research interests lie at the intersection of ethnic studies, decolonial theory, visual culture, and creative nonfiction. She investigates how personal and collective memory shape diasporic identities, particularly in the aftermath of war and displacement. Her work emphasizes vocabularies of remembrance and the redefinition of home and belonging across generations. Through interdisciplinary methods, she combines scholarly analysis with artistic expression to engage communities and challenge dominant historical narratives.

Her recent publications and creative projects reflect a consistent engagement with Southeast Asian diasporas, war legacies, and identity formation. These works span photography, memoir, poetry, and academic essays, demonstrating a deep commitment to both artistic and scholarly excellence. Her forthcoming book, Descendants of Champa: Portraits of Việt Nam and Cambodia, synthesizes decades of photographic and ethnographic work into a powerful narrative of indigenous survival and cultural continuity.

Julie has received several prestigious awards and fellowships in recognition of her contributions:

• Rockefeller Fellowship, William Joiner Center, University of Massachusetts, Boston (2005)
• UC Berkeley Chancellor's Fellowship for Graduate Study (2007)
• Mellon Arts/Practitioner Fellowship, Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration (2021)

As an educator, she mentors students in literary expression and interdisciplinary inquiry. She has previously taught at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University, and currently leads writing workshops and advising at CCA. While no formal grants are listed, her fellowships have directly supported her research, creative production, and community collaborations. She has worked with the diasporic collective She Who Has No Master(s), contributing to collective writings and performances in the US and France. Her creative and scholarly lab is inherently interdisciplinary, blending archival research, fieldwork, artistic creation, and pedagogical engagement.