Mary Christianakis

Mary Christianakis is a Professor of Critical Theory and Social Justice at Occidental College, appointed since 2002. She holds degrees from UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on literacy development, discourse analysis, and sociocritical perspectives on education, immigration, and social justice. She directs the OxyGen initiative, a student-alumni generations project.

Education: B.A. (UCLA), M.Ed. (UCLA), M.A. (Loyola Marymount University), Ph.D. (UC Berkeley).

Research interests include: critical theory, gender studies, immigration/diaspora dynamics, qualitative methods, and discourse analysis in institutional contexts. She emphasizes children’s literacy practices in schools and non-traditional settings like youth detention facilities.

Key publications address juvenile justice systems, neoliberal education policies, and Romani children’s experiences. Her work has been recognized with the Alan C. Purves Award (2012) for impactful scholarship.

Teaching spans foundational courses like Introduction to Critical Theory and specialized topics such as Children’s Literature and Popular Texts. She develops experiential learning programs including qualitative interview methods and critical ethnography.

Grants and initiatives include leadership in the California Immigration Semester and advocacy against the school-to-prison pipeline. Her OxyGen project fosters intergenerational academic connections.