For the first time in years, the Institute for the Study of "Race" and Social Justice at the University of New Mexico has a new director.
Dr. Shinsuke Eguchi, a Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at UNM, was named director of the Institute this summer. Sociology Professor and co-founder of the institute, Nancy López, previously held the director's title for 15 years.
"When this position became available, I wanted to volunteer for it because the institute has been a 'safe' space for me especially when I was going through the tenure and promotion process from Assistant or Associate Professor (2012-2018) and Associate to Full Professor (2018-2023)," Eguchi said. "By 'safe' space, I mean a space where I am fully accepted as a transnational queer of color critic who engages in questions of differences, identities, and power without being stigmatized or marginalized. The institute embraces intersectionality and transnationalism in studying race and social justice. So, it was my time to continue such a tradition to create safe spaces for scholars interested in intersectional and transitional approaches to race and social justice on this campus."
The institute, started by Professors Nancy López and Laura Gómez in January 2009, provides certificate programs for undergraduate and graduate students. Also, the organization hosts events to discuss issues around race and social justice on campus.
"After serving 15 years as director/co-founder of the Institute for the Study of 'Race' & Social Justice, I am looking forward to focusing on completing several grant-funded research activities. I'm also excited about creating an archive-historical record of our collective work and impact in the UNM digital repository for posterity," López said.
The institute's mission statement? Promote the establishment of empirical, theoretical, and methodological clarity about "race" that draws on cutting-edge thinking from multiple disciplines and diverse empirical traditions promote clarity about race, racialization that builds on the insights of multiple disciplines; develop strategies for ameliorating race-based inequality.
"The board members and I are always seeking possible ways to collaborate with off-campus communities to circulate and practice knowledge about race and social justice," Eguchi said.
Eguchi received a B.A. at San Francisco State University, an M.A. at New York University, and a Ph.D at Howard University. Eguchi is a recipient of the 2019 Randy Majors Award which recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender scholarship in communication studies by the National Communication Association's Caucus on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns.
"I am inspired by Dr. Eguchi's visionary leadership and their commitment to students and communities," López said. "I'm also grateful to all the advisory board members, students, community members, staff, faculty and others who generously contributed their time, energy, talents and other resources to advance the mission and impact of the Institute. As an unfunded Institute, none of our collective work would have been possible without your love and commitment. Gracias! Thank you!"
The Institute is made up of volunteers and has no operating or programming funds. If you'd like to support the Institute for the Study of "Race" and Social Justice, click here.