Faculty Website

Biography

Dr. Elvia Ramirez is Professor of Ethnic Studies. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from University of California, Riverside, where she specialized in race and class inequality and gender studies. Her research interests include Chicanos/Latinos(as) in postsecondary education, doctoral (Ph.D.) education, Chicana/Latina faculty experiences, race and ethnic relations, and Latin American migration. Her current research projects focus on Latinx students' experiences navigating the doctoral (Ph.D.) admissions process, and on racial hoaxes targeting Latinos/as.

Dr. Ramirez is the editor of Latinx Migration & the U.S.-Mexico Border: An Anthology (Cognella Publishers) and has published extensively in journals such as Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Equity & Excellence in Education, Sociological Perspectives, and Journal of Hispanic Higher Education. Her research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the Anchor University Collaborative Research Fellowship, UC ACCORD, and others.

An award-winning educator, Dr. Ramirez was honored with the 2020–2021 Outstanding Teaching Award by the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (SSIS) at Sacramento State. She also received the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the Department of Sociology at University of California, Riverside. Inspired by bell hooks, she believes that excitement and serious intellectual engagement can, and should, coexist in the classroom setting.

Dr. Ramirez served as President of the California Sociological Association (CSA) from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first Chicana/Latina woman in CSA history to serve in this leadership role. She currently serves as Faculty Coordinator of the CRISJ Research Mentorship Program and as Interim Chair of the Chicanx/Latinx Faculty and Staff Association (CHLFSA). For her contributions to the Sacramento State community, Dr. Ramirez was awarded the 2022–2023 Outstanding University Service Award.

Courses Taught

ETHN 11: Introduction to Ethnic Studies
ETHN 30: Introduction to Chicano/Latino Studies
ETHN 100: Ethnic America
ETHN 131: La Raza Studies
ETHN 132: La Mujer Chicana
ETHN 133: Crosscultural Aging in America
ETHN 136: U.S. Mexican Border Relations
ETHN 137: Race & Ethnicity in Latin America & Caribbean
ETHN 161: Chicano/Latino Politics and Public Policy
ETHN 194: Research in Ethnic Studies
SOC 194: Research Methods / CRISJ Mentorship Program

Publications

Select Scholarly Publications

Ramirez, E. (Ed.). Latinx migration and the U.S.-Mexico Border: An Anthology. Cognella Publishers. Preliminary edition.

Ramirez, E. (2018). “Navigating positive and hostile department climates: Experiences of Latino(a) doctoral students.” In A. Standlee (Ed.), On the borders of the academy: Challenges and strategies for first generation graduate students and faculty. Syracuse University Press.

Ramirez, E. (2017) “Unequal socialization: Interrogating the Chicano/Latino(a) doctoral education experience.” Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10(1), 25-38.

Ramirez, E. & Mirande, A. (2015). "Autoethnography/Testimonio, Common Sense Racism, and the Politics of Cross-Gender Mentoring." In C.S.V. Turner & J.C. Gonzalez (Eds.), Modeling Mentoring Across Race/Ethnicity and Gender: Practices to Cultivate the Next Generation of Diverse Faculty. Routledge Press.

Ramirez, E. (2014). “¿Qué estoy haciendo aqui? (What am I doing here?): Chicanos/Latinos(as) navigating challenges and inequalities during their first year of graduate school.” Equity & Excellence in Education, 47(2), 167-186.

Reese, E., Ramirez, E., & Estrada-Correa, V. (2013) “The politics of welfare inclusion: Explaining state variation in legal immigrants’ welfare rights.” Sociological Perspectives,56(1), 97-130.

Ramirez, E. (2013). “Examining Latinos/as’ graduate school choice process: An intersectionality perspective.” Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 12(1), 23-36.

Ramirez, E. (2011) “‘No one taught me the steps’: Latinos’ experiences applying to graduate school.” Journal of Latinos and Education, 10(3), 204-222.

Barajas, M., & Ramirez, E. (2007). “Beyond home/host dichotomies: A comparative examination of gender relations in a transnational Mexican community.” Sociological Perspectives, 50(3), 367-392.

Reese, E. & Ramirez, E. (2002). “The new ethnic politics of welfare: Struggles over legal immigrants’ rights to welfare in California.” Journal of Poverty, 8(3), 29-62.

Other Select Publications

Ramirez, E. (2025). “No Soy Monedita de Oro Para Caerle Bien a Todos: Advancing CHLFSA Advocacy and Academic Freedom in a Contested Academic Climate." Noticias y Mas: CHLFSA Newsletter, Vol. 5(2): 6-7.

Ramirez, E. (2024). "On Ethnic Identity Labels and Latino/a/x Panethnicity." Noticias y Mas: CHLFSA Newsletter, Vol. 5(1): 6-7.

Ramirez. E. (2024). "History of Chicanx/Latinx Activism at Sac State: The Struggle for Culturally Relevant Curricula, Pedagogy, and Representation." Noticias y Mas: CHLFSA Newsletter, Vol. 4(2): 3-5.

Ramirez, E. (2023). "History of the Chicanx/Latinx Faculty and Staff Association at Sac State." Noticias y Mas: CHLFSA Newsletter, Vol. 4(1): 3-4.

Google Scholar Profile

Academic Presentations

Select Conference Presentations

“Chicanx/Latinx Studies at Hispanic Serving Institutions.” Presented at the annual meeting of the California Sociological Association.

“Surviving and Thriving in the Job Market as an Ethnic Studies and Interdisciplinary Scholar.” Professional development workshop sponsored by the Committee on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities. Presented at the annual meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association.

“Bullying in Academia: A Chicana Feminist Critique and Analysis.” Presented at the annual meeting of the California Sociological Association.

“Ethnic Studies in Higher Education.” Presented at the Northern California Foco of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) Regional Conference.

“Chicanos/Latinos(as)’ Experiences During Their First Year of Graduate School.” Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

“Analyzing the Campus Racial Climate: Perceptions of Latino Doctoral Students.” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

“Becoming Scholars: An Intersectional Analysis of the Chicana/o-Latina/o Doctoral Student Socialization Experience.” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.

“Unequal Socialization: Chicano/Latino(a) Perceptions of the Doctoral Socialization Process.” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

“Choosing Graduate School: How Inequality Processes Shape Chicano/Latino(a) Students’ Graduate School Destinations.” Presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies.

“Examining the Latino Graduate School Choice Process: Towards an Intersectionality Framework.” Presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.

“La Colectiva: Feeling, Writing, Being Feministas.” Panel presentation at the annual Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) Summer Institute.