Xhercis Méndez

Xhercis Méndez is an Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Women and Gender Studies at California State University, Fullerton, with a visiting research associate role at the Women's Studies Research Program (WSRP) during 2022–23. Her work centers on decolonial feminist methodologies, Afro-Latinx and diasporic religious practices, and intersections of race, gender, and science.

She received her PhD in the Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture Program at SUNY Binghamton. Her research project, Conjuring (An)Other Humanity: Decolonizing Feminist Methodologies from Within Afro-Latinx Ritual, critically examines gender studies frameworks through non-Western religious systems like Afro-Cuban Santería.

In teaching, Dr. Méndez emphasizes diversifying academic spaces by incorporating non-canonical texts by people of color, aiming to amplify marginalized voices. Her academic contributions focus on decolonial theory, queer and feminist epistemologies, and Afro-Latinx diasporic philosophies.