THERESA A MARTINEZ portrait
  • Associate Professor, Sociology Department
801-581-5712

Publications

  • Martinez, Theresa A. (2023). Sisters in Struggle: The Resistance of Women in Hip Hop. The Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters. Vol. 100. Accepted, 10/09/2023.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. (2022). “Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar: A Legacy of Hip Hop Resistance.” . The Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters. Vol. 99. Accepted, 11/15/2022.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. (2021). “From ‘My Guy’ to ‘Inner City Blues’: A Spectrum of Resistance in Motown Music.” . The Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters. Vol. 98, 335-352. Accepted, 11/05/2021.
  • Theresa A. Martinez (2021). “To Live and Defy in LA: How Gangsta Rap Changed America” by Felicia Angeja Viator. (pp. 241-42). Vol. 96. New Mexico Historical Review. Accepted, 04/17/2021.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. (2020). “’Ripple in Still Water’: Psychedelic Rock Resistance”. The Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters. Vol. 97, 359-369. Accepted, 11/01/2020.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. (2020). “’Black, Brown, and White’: Oppositional Performance in American Blues and R&B Music". Race, Gender & Class: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Vol. 27. Accepted, 05/14/2020.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Rock and Roll, CRT, and America in the 1950s: Musical Counternarratives in the Jm Crow South." Race, Gender & Class: An Interdisciplinary Journal 22(3-4). Published, 11/05/2015.
  • Segal, Marcia Texler and Theresa A. Martinez. 2007. Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class: Readings for a Changing Landscape. Los Angeles, California: Oxford University Press. Published, 2007.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Images of the 'Socially Disinherited'": Inner-City Youth in Rap Music. Journal of Law and Family Studies 10(1): 111-126. Published, 01/01/2007.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. Double-Consciousness and Mestiza Consciousness Raising: Linking Du Bois and Anzaldua. Pp. 69-79 in Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class: Readings for a Changing Landscape. Los Angeles, California: Oxford University Press. Published, 2007.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Teaching from a Race, Gender, and Class Perspective: A Dialogue about the Rationale, Rewards, and Challenges of Developing a Collection of Readings From Which to Teach." Race, Gender & Class: An Interdisciplinary and Multicultural Journal, Special Issue: Race, Gender, and Class: For What? 13(3): 130-142. Published, 2006.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Rap and Racial Profiling: Rap Music, Utah, and Police in American Culture." Utah Law Review 2004 (4): 945:960. Published, 2005.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Making Oppositional Culture, Making Standpoint: A Journey into Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands." Sociological Spectrum 25(5): 539-570. Published, 2005.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "The Double-Consciousness of Du Bois and the Mestiza Consciousness of Anzaldua." Race, Gender & Class: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 9(4): 158-176. Published, 2002.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Race, Class, and Gender in the Lifestory of Chicanas: A Critique of Nathan Glazer." Race, Gender & Class: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 7(2): 57-75. Published, 2000.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Popular Culture as Oppositional Culture: Rap As Resistance." Sociological Perspectives. 40(3):269-291. Published, 1997.
  • Martinez, Theresa A. "Toward A Chicana Feminist Epistemological Standpoint: Theory at the Intersection of Race, Class and Gender." Race, Gender & Class: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 3(3):107-128. Published, 1996.

Research Statement

My research work is fundamentally focused on a matrix of domination in U.S. society along axes of race, class, gender, and sexuality among others, and informed by sociologists such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Howard Becker, Joe Feagin, Patricia Hill Collins, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, as well as other scholars in related disciplines such as Gloria Anzalda, Angela Davis, Stuart Hall, Robin Kelley, James Scott, and others. My research, then, implies a standpoint of intersectionality from which to understand the social world, that is, one cannot separate out specific aspects of a human being's experiences-they are at once their race, class, gender, sexuality, age, religion, etc., and these axes of the matrix influence our thinking, behavior, and choices. These intersectional realities have implications for and are impacted by societal institutions from the media, to the schools, to the criminal justice system, to our system of government.  My research primarily focuses on the oppositional cultures or cultures of resistance developed by groups that experience inequity along various axes within the matrix of domination as embedded within societal institutions. Oppositional cultures can take the form of academic prose, music, and novels, as well as other forms of resistance.

Research Keywords

  • race, class, gender, and sexuality
  • Deviant behavior/juvenile delinquency
  • Culture

Presentations

  • Keynote, “My Father’s Daughter, My Mother’s Heart: Mija, Corazoncita,” Judge Memorial High School, Salt Lake City, Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 01/25/2024.
  • “Sisters in the Struggle: The Resistance of Women in Hip Hop.” The Annual Conference of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Salt Lake City, Utah. Conference Paper, Presented, 03/18/2023.
  • “Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar: A Legacy of Hip Hop Resistance.” The Annual Conference of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Provo, Utah. Conference Paper, Presented, 03/19/2022.
  • “Black, Brown, and White: Oppositional Performance in American Blues,” Fordham University Round Tables, Zoom. Panel, Presented, 09/29/2021.
  • “’Ripple in Still Water’: Psychedelic Rock Resistance”. The Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters, Salt Lake City, Utah. Conference Paper, Presented, 03/20/2021.
  • “’I Second That Emotion’: Performance as Resistance in the Music of Motown.” Pacific Sociological Association Meetings, Virtual. Conference Paper, Presented, 03/17/2021.
  • Keynote, “Best Practices in Empathy and Inclusion: Ethics of Diversity and Hiring in Business.” David Eccles School of Business Ethics Club, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Invited Talk/Keynote, Accepted, 10/01/2019.
  • Faculty Speaker, “Let Me Tell You a Story: The Significance of Storytelling in the Clasroom.” New Student Welcome, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 08/17/2019.
    https://orientation.utah.edu/welcome-week/index.ph...
  • “’Black, Brown and White’: Oppositional Performance in American Blues and R&B Music,” Utah Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, Ogden, Utah. Conference Paper, Presented, 03/23/2019.
  • Panelist, “The Fight for Ethnic Studies at the U,” 50th Celebration of Ethnic Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Accepted, 02/11/2019.
  • “Women of Color Academics Roundtable: Pedagogies, Gender, and Race” . Panel, Presented, 01/31/2019.
  • Speaker, “The Hidden Economy: Exploitation of Utah’s Invisible Workforce,” Social Work class, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 11/08/2018.
    https://twitter.com/uofudreamcenter/status/1057825...
  • “Self Defense: A Play about the Worth of “Fallen” Women.” University of Utah, Department of Theatre, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 10/22/2016.
    https://tickets.utah.edu/uncategorized/the-uofu-th...
  • “Why We Need Sociology Now More Than Ever,” College of Social and Behavioral Science Symposia, Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 10/04/2016.
  • “How to Get Good Mentorship,” Undergraduate Research Series, Office of Undergraduate Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 05/25/2016.
  • Speaker, “Race and Class in the Criminal Justice System: Inequity other Stories.” Criminal Process Seminar. College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 02/20/2015.
  • Speaker, “Critical Media Literacy: Social Justice and Media.” Annual MEChA Conference, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 02/19/2015.
  • Speaker, “Critical Media Literacy: Exploring Media As an Agent of Change.” MUSE Lunchtime Series: Theme Year on Social Justice, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 02/05/2015.
  • “Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley: Rock, CRT, and America in the 1950s,” American Sociological Association Meetings, San Francisco, California. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/18/2014.
    https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/asa/asa14/...
  • “Brown v. Board and Hernandez v. Texas: Civil Rights for People of Color in America.” Adelante Club U Camp, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 05/06/2014.
  • “Music of Resistance in America: Questioning Authority in English y en Español.” Latina/o Undergraduate Leadership Conference/La Conferencia, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 04/08/2014.
  • “Navigating White Spaces.” Annual MEChA Conference, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 03/05/2014.
  • "Respect as Best Practice: Navigating Diversity in College Classrooms.” Learning Enhancement Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 03/05/2014.
  • “The History of Social Justice in Utah.” Office of Student Equity and Diversity, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Other, Presented, 02/18/2014.
  • “Race and Class in the Criminal Justice System: Inequity other Stories.” Criminal Process Seminar. College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 02/07/2014.
  • “Positive Youth Development: Community Resistance to Racial Profiling.” Hinckley Institute of Politics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 01/21/2014.
  • “Education and Intersectional Selves.” Mestizo Arts & Activism, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 01/08/2014.
  • “Reframing the ‘King’ of Rock and Roll: Race, Class, and Gender in the Classic Rock Era,” American Sociological Association Meetings, New York City, New York. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/10/2013.
    https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/asa/asa13/...
  • “A Perspective on Race, Class, and Gender in Contemporary Film.” Women’s Week Celebration, History Student Advisory Committee Spring Social, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 03/26/2013.
  • “The Price of Change: Neighborhood Identity in Clybourne Park and Salt Lake City.” Pioneer Memorial Theatre, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 02/21/2013.
  • “Race and Class in the Criminal Justice System: Inequity other Stories.” Criminal Process Seminar. College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 02/08/2013.
  • “The Implicit and Explicit Toils of Identity.” Mestizo Arts & Activism, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 12/10/2012.
  • “Navigating the University as a Student of Color: Core Issues.” BEACON Mentors Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 10/18/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “Hip Hop and Rap: History, Progressive Tones, Legacies.” Upward Bound Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 07/11/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “A Socio-History of Rock and Roll: From Grunge to Hip Hop to the Present.” SpyHop Class, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 05/29/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “A Socio-History of Rock and Roll: From Punk Rock to 80s Consciousness.” SpyHop Class, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 05/24/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “A Socio-History of Rock and Roll: From the Blues to Psychedelic Rock.” SpyHop Class, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 05/15/2012.
  • “Youth, Rock and Roll, and Resistance.” Troubled Youth Conference, Snowbird, Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 05/11/2012.
  • “Growing Up: A Time to Every Purpose.” AMES Academy Graduation. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/18/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “Domestic Violence and Other Stories: Gender Identity and Everything After.” Criminal Process Seminar. College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 04/06/2012.
  • Moderator and Panelist, “Creating a Safe Campus Climate: Moving Forward After the 2011 ASUU Elections.” Hinckley Institute of Politics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Panel, Presented, 03/20/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “Race and Class in the Criminal Justice System: The Death Penalty and other Stories.” Criminal Process Seminar. College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 02/24/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “More on Privilege and Access: Through the Lens of the Media.” Social Work graduate course, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 02/08/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “Empowering Chicana, Empowering Self.” Latinas Adelante Program, Horizonte Instruction and Training Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. Presentation, Presented, 02/01/2012.
  • 2012 Speaker, “Privilege and Access: Looking at the Media.” Social Work graduate course, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. 01/18/2012 - 01/18/2012. Presentation, Presented, 01/18/2012.
  • “The ‘Socially Disinherited’: Images of Youth in Rap Music,” American Sociological Association Meetings, New York City, New York. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/12/2007.
    https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/asa/asa07/...
  • “Creating Safe Passages for Latina/o Students to Attend Institutions of Higher Education,” Utah National Association for Multicultural Education Conference 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah . Presentation, Presented, 05/02/2007.
  • “The 19th Century ‘Double-Consciousness’ of W.E.B. Du Bois and the 20th Century ‘Mestiza Consciousness’ of Gloria Anzaldúa: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality Spanning of Two Centuries of Thought,” American Sociological Association Meetings, Atlanta, Georgia. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/18/2003.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/2003_am_...
  • “Theorizing in the Borderlands: Gloria Anzaldúa’s Oppositional Culture and Standpoint,” American Sociological Association Meetings, Chicago, Illinois. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/16/2002.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/2002_am_...
  • “Nathan Glazer Changes His Mind, But Not About Latinas/os: Race, Class, and Gender Issues for Latinas/os in the US,” American Sociological Association Meetings, Washington, D.C. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/14/2000.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/2000_ann...
  • “Entering into the Chicana Lifestory: Home Relationships, Intimate Relationships, and Spirituality,” American Sociological Association Meetings, San Francisco, California. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/25/1998.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/1998_am_...
  • “Teaching and Organizing for Justice,” American Sociological Association Meetings, San Francisco, California. Panel, Presented, 08/23/1998.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/1998_am_...
  • "Entering into the Chicana Lifestory: Home Relationships, Heart Rituals and Spiritual Journeys," Hispanics and the US: An Interdisciplinary Conference, San Francisco, California. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/14/1997.
  • "Storytelling as Oppositional Culture: Reflections on Race, Class, and Gender in the Borderlands," American Sociological Association Meetings, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/09/1997.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/1997_am_...
  • "Entering Into the Story: Home Relationships, Heart Rituals, and Spiritual Journeys," National Association of Chicano/Chicana Scholars, Sacramento, California. Conference Paper, Presented, 04/18/1997.
    https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?...
  • "The Oppositional Culture of the Storyteller: Mestiza Consciousness-Raising in Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands," Pacific Sociological Association Meetings, Seattle, Washington. Conference Paper, Presented, 04/17/1996.
  • "Promoting Social Change with Popular Culture: Music in the Relations Classroom," Pacific Sociological Association Meetings, San Francisco, California. Conference Paper, Presented, 04/10/1995.
  • "Race, Ethnicity and Popular Culture: Music in the Race Relations Classroom," American Sociological Association Meetings, Los Angeles, California. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/09/1994.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/1994_ann...
  • "Teaching Race, Class and Gender with Popular Culture: Music to Reason By," American Sociological Association Meetings, Miami, Florida. Conference Paper, Presented, 08/16/1993.
    http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/1993_ann...
  • "Teaching Race, Class and Gender with Popular Music: Reflections of Discrimination and Prejudice in Popular Culture," National Association of Ethnic Studies Meetings, Salt Lake City, Utah. Conference Paper, Presented, 03/08/1993.
  • "Teaching Social Theory through Popular Culture," Pacific Sociological Association Meetings, Oakland, California. Conference Paper, Accepted, 04/12/1992.
  • "Culture and the Abuse of Women: A Focus on Hispanics in New Mexico," Pacific Sociological Association Meetings, Seattle, Washington. Conference Paper, Presented, 04/12/1990.

Languages

  • Spanish, basic.