Natalia Molina

Natalia Molina is a Distinguished Professor and Dean's Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, where she holds a joint appointment in the Department of History. Previously, she served as Professor of History and Urban Studies at the University of California, San Diego, where she also held significant administrative roles including Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Diversity and Equity.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. in Gender Studies and History from UCLA
• M.A. in History from the University of Michigan
• Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan

Molina's research explores the interconnected histories of race, place, gender, culture, and citizenship through what she terms 'racial scripts'—a theoretical framework examining how racial categories form relationally across different groups. Her scholarship spans Latinx Studies, Immigration History, Foodways, Gender Studies, Urban Studies, and Public Health, with particular focus on Los Angeles and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. She combines historical analysis with contemporary social issues, revealing how past racial formations continue to shape present-day inequalities through institutional practices and community resistance.

Analysis of Molina's publications reveals a consistent engagement with relational approaches to race, examining how different marginalized groups intersect and influence each other's experiences. Her work spans historical periods from the late 19th century to the present, with increasing attention to foodways and community spaces as sites of resistance and cultural preservation. There's a clear progression from examining institutional racial formations to exploring community-based practices of belonging and resistance.

Her significant honors include:

• MacArthur Fellow (2020)
• James Beard Award Finalist (2023-2024)
• USC Faculty Mentoring Award for Mentoring Graduate Students (2023-2024)
• USC Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition Award (2022-2023)
• Society of American Historians, Elected member (2021-2022)
• National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship Recipient (2017-2018)
• Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award from UC San Diego (2013-2014)

Molina has been an active mentor to graduate students and has received recognition for her advising. Her research has been supported by prestigious organizations including the National Endowment for the Humanities, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. She has also held significant administrative roles focused on faculty diversity and equity, reflecting her commitment to advancing representation in higher education.

Currently, Molina serves on several important boards including the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens and the Scholars Council for the Library of Congress. She is Vice President and President-Elect (2028) of the Organization of American Historians and is working on a new book, 'The Silent Hands that Shaped the Huntington Library: A History of Its Immigrant Workers,' which continues her focus on uncovering marginalized histories.