Vernadette Vicuña Gonzalez

Vernadette Vicuña Gonzalez is a Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on cultures of imperialism, particularly in the U.S. colonial contexts of Asia and the Pacific, with interdisciplinary approaches spanning race, Indigeneity, gender, and sexuality. She earned her doctorate from UC Berkeley in 2004 with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

Education:

• PhD in Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley (2004)

Research Interests: Her work examines intersections of imperialism, tourism, militarism, and decolonial praxis. Notable projects include Securing Paradise (2013) and Empire’s Mistress (2021), analyzing how empire operates through intimacy and hospitality. She co-edits the Detours book series, a decolonial travel guide project expanding to sites like Palestine and Guam.

Awards:

• Best Book in Cultural Studies (AAAAS, 2015)
• History Honorable Mention (AAAAS, 2023)

Grants & Advising: Her current project explores 'hospitality and its discontents.' Previously taught at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa, and directed its Honors Program. She collaborates on interdisciplinary works like Bangtan Remixed (forthcoming 2024), critiquing K-pop group BTS through Asian labor studies.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Detours project, an open-source decolonial archive with Duke University Press and the University of Hawai‘i’s Center for Pacific Islands Studies.