Victor Mendoza

Victor Román Mendoza is an Associate Professor with a joint appointment in Women's and Gender Studies, English Language and Literature, and American Culture at the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). He currently serves as the Acting Director of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program and is a faculty associate at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies. His research focuses on queer and trans of color critique, postcolonial studies, and U.S. imperial cultures, with notable publications including Metroimperial Intimacies: Fantasy, Racial-Sexual Governance, and the Philippines in U.S. Imperialism, 1899-1913 (Duke University Press, 2015) and Extimate Attachments: Colonianormativity and the Promise of Imperial Citizenship. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

His scholarly interests bridge critical race theory, transnational feminism, and visual cultures. Mendoza’s work has been recognized with prestigious honors, including a finalist nod for the National Book Award in the Philippines. He co-edited Asian American Literature in Transition, 1996-2020 (Cambridge University Press, 2021). Though not currently accepting new graduate students, he has mentored scholars in multiethnic U.S. literature and imperial studies. His academic affiliations include leadership roles in interdisciplinary programs addressing diasporic identities and Southeast Asian studies.

Mendoza’s research and teaching emphasize intersections of race, gender, and imperial history, particularly through literary and cultural analysis. His office is located at Lane Hall, and he has contributed to open-access initiatives like Knowledge Unlatched, which supported global accessibility of his work.