Sujey Vega
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Phone: 480-427-0105
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777 Novus Suite 382 P.O. Box 874308 Tempe, AZ 85287-4308
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Mail code: 4308Campus: Tempe
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Sujey Vega is the director of the Community Collaborative Initiatives program, an Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies and affiliate faculty member in the School of Transborder Studies and Religious Studies at Arizona State University. Her research explores the every day lived experiences of Latina/os in the U.S. By looking to moments of belonging, she traces the way Latina/os make their own notion of home in the U.S. Using ethnography, oral history and archival analysis, Professor Vega's research includes race/ethnic studies, social networks, gendered experiences and ethno-religious practices. Her first book, Latino Heartland: Of Borders and Belonging in the Midwest (2015, NYU Press), places in dialogue Mexican Hoosiers and non-Mexican (mostly White) Hoosiers of Indiana as they both come to terms with living in the same communal space. The book's focus includes ethno-religious practices, comadrazgo (female social networks), ethnic solidarity and community organizations that helped Mexicans assert a right to belong in a Midwestern city. Professor Vega's forthcoming book, Barrios of Faith (NYU Press) historically locates the growth of Latina/o LDS members in the Phoenix area and the role the LDS church plays in the lives of current Latino Mormons. She is particularly interested in gendered social networks, primarily the Relief Society as it engages Spanish-speaking women in church leadership and the pull/push factors that have attracted Spanish-speaking members to Mormonism in record numbers. The following are public talks and resources of Dr. Vega's work on Latina/o LDS experiences:
2018 Public Talk Latinex Lamanitas? Complicating Indigeneity and Ethnic/Mormon Identity Among Spanish-Speaking LDS Members: 2018 Global Mormon Studies Conference: Sujey Vega (youtube.com)
2016 Public Talk The Desert Diaspora: An Exploration of Latino LDS and Their Ethnic Religious Belonging :Sujey Vega - The Desert Diaspora: An Exploration of Latino LDS and Their Ethnic Religious Belonging (youtube.com)
2015 AAAs En Mi Casa: Latino Latter Day Saints and the Making of Complex Mormon Identities (Vega paper starts at about the 20 min mark): 2015 AAA Invited Session: AMERICAN RACIALIZATIONS BEYOND BLACK AND WHITE (youtube.com)
Vega, Sujey. “Expanding Deseret Belonging: Latina/o Belonging in the Mormon Deseret Diaspora." in Faith and Power: Latina/o Religious Politics Since 1945, Eds. Felipe Hinojosa,
Maggie Elmore, and Sergio Gonzalez. NYU Press, February 2022.
Vega, Sujey. “Mujerista Theology.” in The Routledge Handbook on Mormonism and Gender,
edited by Taylor Petrey and Amy Hoyt. Routledge, 2020; 598-607.
Vega, Sujey. “Latino/a/x Mormons.” in The Oxford Handbook of Latinx Christianities in the
United States, edited by Theo Calderara and Kristy Nabhan-Warren. Oxford University Press,
Feb 2022.
Vega, Sujey. ““Blossom As the Rose”: LDS Latina/o Millennials Challenge A Politics of
Worthiness In Critical Diálogos in Latina and Latino Studies, eds. Ramos-Zayas, A. and Rua, M.
NYU Press. August 2021.
- Ph.D. Anthropology. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2008
- M.A. Anthropology. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2006
- B.A. Anthropology, minor in History. University of North Texas 2002
Latina/o/x experiences, belonging, immigration, gender, religion, ethnic identity, intersectionality, ethnography, discourse analysis, race/space, ethno-history, community-based research, community-engaged pedagogy.
Book Manuscript
Barrios of Faith: Latina/o Latter-Day Saints Encounters in Faith and Cultural Identity. Book Manuscript. Under Contract with NYU Press, Tentative publication: 2025
Latino Heartland: Of Borders and Belonging in the Midwest. New York: NYU Press, 2015. (341 manuscript pages). http://nyupress.org/books/9781479896042/
2016 Honorable Mention, Gloria E. Anzladúa Book Prize, National Women’s Studies Association.
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Vega, Sujey. 2019. “Intersectional Hermanas: Latina Mormon Women Navigate Faith, Immigration, Leadership and Sisterhood.” Latino Studies Journal. 17 (1), pp. 27-47.
Messing, Jill Theresa, Sujey Vega, Alesha Durfee. 2017. “Protection order use among immigrant survivors of intimate partner violence.” Fall 2017 Special Issue of Feminist Criminology on Bringing Latinas to the Forefront. Vol 12, Issue 3, pp. 199 – 223.
Vega, Sujey. 2012. “The Politics of Everyday Life: Mexican Hoosiers & Ethnic Belonging at the Crossroads of America.” City & Society 24(2): 197-217.
Peer Reviewed Book Chapters
Vega, Sujey. ““D. Michael (Peña) Quinn: A Chicano with Gringo Attitude and Experience.” D. Michael Quinn: Essays on the Life, Times, and Legacy of a Mormon Historian, Ed. Benjamin Park, Signature Books Publishing. In copy edits, forthcoming publication date in 2022.
Vega Sujey. “Preface: Recalling, Reclaiming, and Remembering Latino Hoosiers at the Crossroads of America.” Hoosier Latinos: A Century of Struggle, Service, and Success, Eds. Nicole Martinez-Legrand and Daniel Gonzales, Indiana Historical Society Press. August 2022.
Vega, Sujey. “Latina/o Mormons: Spanish-Speaking Saints Negotiating Identity in the Deseret.” Faith and Power: Latina/o Religious Politics Since 1945, Eds. Felipe Hinojosa, Maggie Elmore, and Sergio González. NYU Press. February 2022.
Vega, Sujey. “Latino/a/x Mormons.” The Oxford Handbook of Latinx Christianities in the United States, Eds. Theo Calderara and Kristy Nabhan-Warren. Oxford University Press, Feb 2022.
Vega, Sujey. ““Blossom As the Rose”: LDS Latina/o Millennials Challenge A Politics of Worthiness Critical Diálogos in Latina and Latino Studies, Eds. A. Ramos-Zayas and Merida Rúa. NYU Press. August 2021.
Vega, Sujey, Alesha Durfee and Jill Messing. 2021 “Entre Mujeres Platicamos: The role of informal social networks among Latina survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.” Latinas in the Criminal Justice System: Victims, Targets, and Offenders, Eds. Vera Lopez and Lisa Pasko. NYU Press. September 2021.
Vega, Sujey. “Mujerista Theology.” The Routledge Handbook on Mormonism and Gender, edited by Taylor Petrey and Amy Hoyt. Routledge, 2020; 598-607.
Vega, Sujey. “Latino/a/x Mormons.” The Oxford Handbook of Latinx Christianities in the United States, edited by Theo Calderara and Kristy Nabhan-Warren. Oxford University Press, Feb 2022.
Vega, Sujey. ““Blossom As the Rose”: LDS Latina/o Millennials Challenge A Politics of Worthiness In Ramos-Zayas, A. and Rúa, M. Critical Diálogos in Latina and Latino Studies. NYU Press. Forthcoming.
Vega, Sujey, Alesha Durfee and Jill Messing. 2021 “Entre Mujeres Platicamos: The role of informal social networks among Latina survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.” In Latinas in the Criminal Justice System: Victims, Targets, and Offenders, Lopez, V. & Pasko, pp. 19-41. New York: NYU Press.
Vega, Sujey. 2014. “Crimmigration at the Crossroads of America Or How Divisive Politics Tarnish the Heartland.” In The Criminalization of Immigration: Contexts and Consequences, edite by Alissa R. Ackerman and Rich Furman, pp. 75-88. Durham: Carolina Academic Press.
White Papers and Research Briefs
Olsen-Medina, Kira (co-PI), Sujey Vega (co-Pi), Zoe Lacey. October 2021. Guerrero Project Research Brief:
Nancy Godoy (50% PI), Sujey Vega (30% co-PI), Lorrie McAllister (20% co-PI). “Engaging, Educating, and Empowering: Developing Community-Driven Archival Collections.” The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Hyperempathy as A Call for Futurist Survival: Octavia Butler, Double Consciousness, and Characters of Color that frame the Way Forward
Socorro Across The Ages: Latina Social Networks in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Sujey Vega. 2013-2014 Enchanted Faith: Latino Conversion, Gender Constructions, and Social Networks in the Church of Latter Day Saints in Phoenix area.
Alesha Durfee [PI], Jill Messing [co-PI], Sujey Vega [Consultant]. 2013-Ongoing Legal Mobilization and Intimate Partner Victimization
Courses
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 300 | Women & Gender Contempry Soc |
| WST 300 | Women & Gender Contempry Soc |
| AMS 201 | Intro to American Studies |
| SST 493 | Honors Thesis |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 792 | Research |
| WST 799 | Dissertation |
| SST 301 | Research Methods-American Comm |
| WST 691 | Seminar |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 792 | Research |
| WST 300 | Women & Gender Contempry Soc |
| WST 300 | Women & Gender Contempry Soc |
| SST 590 | Reading and Conference |
| AMS 599 | Thesis |
| WST 592 | Research |
| WST 591 | Seminar |
| WST 591 | Seminar |
| SST 595 | Continuing Registration |
| WST 792 | Research |
| WST 792 | Research |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 790 | Reading and Conference |
| AMS 593 | Applied Project |
2023 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 592 | Research |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 792 | Research |
| WST 100 | Women, Gender, and Society |
| SST 590 | Reading and Conference |
| WST 100 | Women, Gender, and Society |
| AMS 599 | Thesis |
| AMS 201 | Intro to American Studies |
| WST 592 | Research |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 792 | Research |
| WST 790 | Reading and Conference |
| WST 100 | Women, Gender, and Society |
| WST 592 | Research |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 792 | Research |
| WST 799 | Dissertation |
| WST 593 | Applied Project |
| AMS 201 | Intro to American Studies |
| SST 301 | Research Methods-American Comm |
| SST 499 | Individualized Instruction |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 799 | Dissertation |
| WST 690 | Reading and Conference |
| AMS 502 | Amer Studies: Theory & Method |
| WST 592 | Research |
2021 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 790 | Reading and Conference |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 690 | Reading and Conference |
| AMS 502 | Amer Studies: Theory & Method |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 691 | Seminar |
| AMS 599 | Thesis |
2020 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 493 | Honors Thesis |
| WST 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| WST 799 | Dissertation |
| WST 690 | Reading and Conference |
| WST 498 | Pro-Seminar |
| WST 691 | Seminar |
| JUS 350 | Immigration and Justice |
2019 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| WST 493 | Honors Thesis |
| WST 498 | Pro-Seminar |
| WST 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| WST 792 | Research |
| WST 799 | Dissertation |
| WST 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| WST 690 | Reading and Conference |
| WST 790 | Reading and Conference |
| WST 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| WST 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| WST 592 | Research |
| WST 593 | Applied Project |
| WST 599 | Thesis |
| WST 590 | Reading and Conference |
| WST 100 | Women, Gender, and Society |
| WST 294 | Special Topics |
| TCL 294 | Special Topics |
- Sujey Vega. Citizen Performativity: Policing and Constraining Brown Bodies in Arizona. Fanaticism and the Abolition-Democracy: Critical Theory in the Spirit of Joel Olson Conference (Jan 2013).
- Sujey Vega. Politics At the Borderlands: A Discursivee Approach Toward State-Based Legislative Attacks On Immigration. American Anthropological Association Meetings (Nov 2012).
- May 2017, Awarded the ASU CLFSA Dr. Manuel Servin Faculty Award.
- August 2016. Honorable Mention, Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize, National Women’s
- Studies Association.
- April 2015. Symposium Scholar. Young Scholars Symposium. Institute for Latino
- Studies, University of Notre Dame.
- July 2013. Faculty Fellow. Wye Faculty Seminar on Citizenship in the American and
- Global Polity. Aspen Institute and the Association of American Colleges. Only two faculty sponsored to attend by President Crow (Arizona State University).
- Spring 2012. Visiting Fellow. Institute for Humanities Research. Arizona State
- University.
- June 2009 Spelman-National Women’s Studies Association Summer Institute Fellow,
- “Women of Color: Theory, Scholarship, and Activism” Atlanta, Georgia.
SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION
- 2023-2024 Conference Site Committee Co-Chair for LatinaXo Studies Association
- 2019-2021 Editorial Board, Mormon Studies Review.
- 2018-Present Editorial Board for Book Series: Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest, with University of Illinois Press
- 2018. Conference Program Committee. Mormon History Association.
- 2018. First level reviewer for The Center for Engaged Scholarship Dissertation Fellowship National competition.
- 2017. Editorial Board. Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education.
- 2017. Steering Committee of the Global Mormon Studies Research Network hosted by the University of Auckland.
- 2015-2017. Editorial Board. Latinx Talk (previously Mujeres Talk), an online, interdisciplinary, edited, and moderated forum for original research, commentary, and creative work.
- 2016 Conference Program Committee, National Women’s Studies Association
- 2016-2017. Consultant for a special exhibit, "Indiana Latino Heritage Project," for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
- 2011-2014. Treasurer, Web Developer. Association of Latina and Latino Anthropologists, a section of the American Anthropological Association,
- 2017. Manuscript Reviewer. Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
- 2015. Manuscript Reviewer. Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
- 2014. Manuscript Reviewer. Journal of International Migration and Integration
- 2014. Manuscript Reviewer. Feminist Criminology
- 2012. Manuscript Reviewer. The Sociological Quarterly
- 2012. Manuscript Reviewer. City & Society
- 2010. Manuscript Reviewer. Journal of Rural Social Sciences
- 2009. Manuscript Reviewer. Ethos: Journal of the Society for Psych. Anthropology
Latino/a Studies Association
American Studies Association
American Anthropological Association
Mormon History Association
National Women's Studies Association
Doctoral Dissertation Chair (2)
- Tracey Flores.* Dissertation successfully defended April 2017. Somos Escritores/We are Writers: Latina Adolescent Girls and Their Parents Writing, Sharing, and Ways of Knowing.
- Lizbett Benge. Dissertation successfully defended April 2020. Sensing the State, Strategizing Survival: Foster Care and the Ordering of Spacetimebodyminds
Doctoral Dissertation Committees
- Christine Leavitt (Dissertation Advisor)
- Noah Siffin (Dissertation Advisor)
- Vik Peer (successful defended 2022)
- Gabriela A. Gonzalez (successfully defended April 2021)
- Julie Rousseau (successfully defended April 2019)
Master’s Thesis Chair/Committee
- Natalia Lopez Osorio (Advisor)
- Shane Manning (Advisor)
- Danielle Macias (Committee member)
- Karina Tello Medina (Thesis Chair, successfully defended May 2018)
- Wallace Hudson (successfully defended April 2017)
- Vivianne Linos (successfully defended April 2017)
Arizona State University
- Fall 2018 Promoted to Associate Professor. Women & Gender Studies, School of Social Transformation.
- Fall 2012 – Spring 2018. Assistant Professor. Women & Gender Studies, School of Social Transformation. Affiliate Faculty: Religious Studies and School of Transborder Studies
- Fall 2011-Spring 2012. Visiting Fellow. Institute of Humanities Research.
Sam Houston State University
- Fall 2009 – Spring 2011. Assistant Professor. Department of Sociology.
- Fall 2008-Spring 2009. Visiting Assistant Professor. Department of Sociology.
- Faculty Co-Advisor, Local to Global Justice Forum and Festival (2023-ongoing)
- CLAS Dean's Advisory Council on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, SST Representative. Fall 2021-Spring 2022
- Guest Panelist, More than a Statement: Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. ASU’s Preparing Future Faculty class, Tamara Underiner, Sep 2020
- Faculty Representative, Chicano/Latino Faculty Staff Association. ASU 2017-18.
- 2016 Conference Program Committee, National Women’s Studies Association
- 2016-2017. Consultant for a special exhibit, "Indiana Latino Heritage Project," for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
- 2011-2014. Treasurer, Web Developer. Association of Latina and Latino
- Anthropologists, a section of the American Anthropological Association,
- 2017. Manuscript Reviewer. Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
- 2015. Manuscript Reviewer. Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
- 2014. Manuscript Reviewer. Journal of International Migration and Integration
- 2014. Manuscript Reviewer. Feminist Criminology
- 2012. Manuscript Reviewer. The Sociological Quarterly
- 2012. Manuscript Reviewer. City & Society
- 2010. Manuscript Reviewer. Journal of Rural Social Sciences
- 2009. Manuscript Reviewer. Ethos: Journal of the Society for Psych. Anthropology