Rafael Martinez
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Phone: 602-543-5615
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7271 E. Sonoran Arroyo Mall Mail Code 2780 Mesa, AZ 85212
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Mail code: 2780Campus: Poly
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Rafael A. Martínez is an Assistant Professor in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at Arizona State University. His research explores immigration, memory, belonging, and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, with particular attention to how immigrant, Latinx, and mixed-immigration status communities create, preserve, and share their stories.
His award-winning book, Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the United States (University of Arizona Press), examines the rise of undocumented youth social movements in the United States and the role that Dreamers have played in reshaping national conversations about immigration, citizenship, and belonging. The book highlights how undocumented young people have organized, shared their stories, and advocated for social change, transforming both public policy debates and immigrant rights movements.
Martínez's work extends beyond the university through oral history, public humanities, and community-engaged research. He is co-founder and co-director of the Latinx Oral History Lab at ASU, where he collaborates with students and community members to document stories often overlooked in traditional archives. His projects include Querencia: Voices from Chandler's Latinx Barrios, an oral history initiative that preserved the experiences of Latinx residents across Chandler and culminated in a public exhibition and digital archive developed with the Chandler Museum.
Through his research, teaching, and public scholarship, Martínez seeks to make academic knowledge accessible while highlighting how migration, memory, and storytelling help communities build belonging across generations and borders.
For his research and work in public history, Martínez has been awarded the Dr. Manuel Servin Faculty Award by the Chicano/Latino Faculty Staff Association (CLFSA) and the Líderes Under 40 Award by the Los DBacks Organization.
- Ph.D. University of New Mexico (2020), American Studies
- M.A. University of New Mexico (2014), American Studies
- B.A. California State University, Dominguez Hills (2012), History and Chicana and Chicano Studies
Rafael Martinez's research interests include: immigration and migration, undocumented youth social movements and identities around illegalization and DACAmented status.
He approaches these research themes and topics through research medthods such as: oral histories, testimonials, storytelling, digital humanities and digital archives, and media productions.
Book (monograph):
Martínez, Rafael A. Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the United States. University of Arizona Press, 2024.
https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/illegalized
Articles:
Martínez, Rafael A., "Transnational DREAMer Narratives: Following the Deportation and Return-Migration Trails of Mexican Immigrant Youths." Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, Vol. 49, Issue 1, 2024, 79-100.
Causadias, José M., Jamil, Belal, Martínez, Rafael A., Su, Jinni. “Satisfaction with Funerals and Mental Health of Latinx in Arizona During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Journal of Latinx Psychology, 2025.
Warr, Melissa, Dicochea, Laura, Alvarez Flores, Stacey M., Holmes, Tasha, O’Connor, Brendan H., Garcia, David, Martínez, Rafael A. “Leveraging Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning for Social Impact in Graduate Education,” The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. Vol. 19, Issue 1, 2025.
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ijpbl/article/view/36159
Martínez, Rafael, Orozco, Froilan, Canales-Navarrete, Nancy. “‘Even if you’re not going to plant, use your water:’ Forging Identity Through Cultural Practices.” Chamisa: A Journal of Literacy, Performance, and Visual Arts of the Greater Southwest, vol. 1, no. 1, 2021, p. 101-116. https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/chamisa/
Martinez, Rafael A., Schreiber, Rebecca, “Sovereignty and Sanctuary: A Roundtable,”Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures. Indiana University, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/chiricu.3.issue-1
Book Chapters:
Cadenas, Germán A., Martínez, Rafael A., Aguilar, Carlos. “Critical Consciousness Development among Undocumented Youth: State of the Science, Historiography of Immigration Policy, and Recommendations for Research and Practice.” Critical Consciousness: Expanding Theory, Methods, and Measurements. Cambridge University Press, 2023. https://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/psychology/developmental-psychology/developing-critical-consciousness-youth-contexts-and-settings?format=HB
Martínez, Rafael. “Transformative Borders in Cinema: Evolving Concepts of Migrant Crossings.” La Frontera: Reflections on Borders in American Culture, edited by Judit Agnes Kadar and Andras Tarnoc. Americana eBooks, 2017. https://ebooks.americanaejournal.hu/books/la-frontera/
Courses
2027 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| MLS 512 | Exploring and Expressing Ideas |
| MLS 512 | Exploring and Expressing Ideas |
| HST 110 | United States Since 1865 |
2026 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
| IDS 321 | Interdisciplinary Issues |
2026 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| MLS 512 | Exploring and Expressing Ideas |
| MLS 512 | Exploring and Expressing Ideas |
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
2025 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
| IDS 494 | Special Topics |
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| MLS 512 | Exploring and Expressing Ideas |
| MLS 512 | Exploring and Expressing Ideas |
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
| IDS 310 | Integration: Cultural Contexts |
| IDS 401 | Integration: Experiential |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 363 | Transborder Chicano Literature |
| HUL 494 | Special Topics |
| HUL 598 | Special Topics |
| FAS 598 | Special Topics |
| HST 494 | Special Topics |
| ENG 598 | Special Topics |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 498 | Pro-Seminar |
| ABS 592 | Research |
| HST 495 | Methods of Historical Inquiry |
| ENG 363 | Transborder Chicano Literature |
| ENG 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| ENG 499 | Individualized Instruction |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENG 498 | Pro-Seminar |
| HST 343 | American Southwest |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ABS 592 | Research |
| HST 344 | Arizona |
| ENG 363 | Transborder Chicano Literature |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| HST 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| HST 493 | Honors Thesis |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ABS 592 | Research |
| HST 448 | Mexican/U.S. Border |
| GRD 593 | Applied Project |
| EPA 598 | Special Topics |
| TSS 593 | Applied Project |
| HST 493 | Honors Thesis |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| HST 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| HST 343 | American Southwest |
| COM 510 | Transmedia Narratives |