NCID-1798
Cristina Herrera
Professor and Chair of Chicano and Latin American Studies
Portland State University
Education/Degree:
1 English (Claremont University)
About
Cristina Herrera earned her PhD in English from Claremont Graduate University. She is a professor and the chair of Chicano and Latin American Studies at California State University, Fresno. She is the author of the 2014 book, Contemporary Chicana Literature: (Re)Writing the Maternal Script, the only monograph to examine mother-daughter relationships in Chicana literature. She has published in major journals, including Children's Literature, The Lion and the Unicorn, Chicana/Latina Studies, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, and others. Currently, she is working on a number of projects related to Chicana/Latina young adult and children's literature.
Current Work
Cristina's current projects include a co-edited anthology on Latin@ young adult literature, including a book project that examines themes of "nerdiness" and outsider status in Chican@ literature. Cristina is interested in young adult novels that represent Chicana protagonists who enjoy habits that have traditionally been described as "nerdy" or even inappropriate for young girls of color to study. She hopes her scholarship addresses the ways in which educational institutions, as well as teachers, may not encourage young girls of color to study because of stereotypes that have constructed this population as "at risk."
Research Area Keyword(s)
Chicana young adult literature, Chicana/Latina literature, feminism