Julio Orellana,
Visiting Assistant Professor of American Studies
Office Location: Edwards Humanities Building, Miller Wing 104
Personal Website: https://julioorellanaphd.com/
Biography
Julio is the proud son of Guatemalan migrants. He was born and raised in a working-class neighborhood in Mid City Los Angeles and attended public schools from elementary through his doctoral studies. He is a first-generation college student, a product of the California State University’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and a Sally-Casanova Predoctoral Scholar.
Julio earned his Ph.D. in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Riverside where he cofounded the first-ever Mesoamerican Theory and Praxis Working Group. The goal of the working group is to bring attention to campus and the wider community of the most pressing issues impacting the Guatemalan and the broader Central American diaspora in Southern California. Julio was a board member of UC Riverside’s Latino and Latin American Studies Research Center and is an affiliate of UC Santa Barbara’s Global Latinidades Center, The Central American Studies Lab, and The Orfalea Center Initiative on Global Migration and Inequality.
Prior to pursuing graduate studies full time, Julio worked as a teacher at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and as a youth advocate for over ten years. During this time, he worked with and mentored working-class students of color primarily in South Central, Downtown, and East Los Angeles. All of Julio’s career choices and future endeavors are guided by the lessons he learned as an Ethnic Studies major at Cal Poly Humboldt where he began his educational journey.
Julio earned his Ph.D. in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Riverside where he cofounded the first-ever Mesoamerican Theory and Praxis Working Group. The goal of the working group is to bring attention to campus and the wider community of the most pressing issues impacting the Guatemalan and the broader Central American diaspora in Southern California. Julio was a board member of UC Riverside’s Latino and Latin American Studies Research Center and is an affiliate of UC Santa Barbara’s Global Latinidades Center, The Central American Studies Lab, and The Orfalea Center Initiative on Global Migration and Inequality.
Prior to pursuing graduate studies full time, Julio worked as a teacher at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and as a youth advocate for over ten years. During this time, he worked with and mentored working-class students of color primarily in South Central, Downtown, and East Los Angeles. All of Julio’s career choices and future endeavors are guided by the lessons he learned as an Ethnic Studies major at Cal Poly Humboldt where he began his educational journey.
Academic History
- Ph.D., Ethnic Studies, UC Riverside
- M.A., Political Science, CSU Northridge
- Single-Subject Teaching Credential (Social Science), Cal State LA
- B.A., Ethnic Studies, Cal Poly Humboldt
Academic Focus
Latino Studies; Central American Studies; Migration Studies; Comparative Ethnic Studies; Critical Theory; Social Science Methods; Community-Engaged Research
Julio is a social-science scholar. He collaborates with local and transnational Guatemalan grassroots organizations. His research examines forced international migration from Guatemala and migrant politics in Southern California. His book manuscript, Maya and Ladino Guatemalan Labor Migrants and Civil Societies within Southern California’s Political Economy, examines the rise of indigenous and non-indigenous (ladino/mestizo) Guatemalan migrants in Southern California and the social conditions that have given rise to their civic associations.
Julio is a social-science scholar. He collaborates with local and transnational Guatemalan grassroots organizations. His research examines forced international migration from Guatemala and migrant politics in Southern California. His book manuscript, Maya and Ladino Guatemalan Labor Migrants and Civil Societies within Southern California’s Political Economy, examines the rise of indigenous and non-indigenous (ladino/mestizo) Guatemalan migrants in Southern California and the social conditions that have given rise to their civic associations.
Interests
Long-distance running; travel; food; music
Selected Research and Publications
Orellana J. Racialized Guatemalan Migrant Labor and Grassroots Civil Societies in the Greater Los Angeles Region. The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. Published online 2025:1-26. doi:10.1017/rep.2025.10016
Orellana, J. (2024). "33: Latinx politics". In Encyclopedia of Critical Political Science. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved Aug 24, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800375918.ch33
Orellana, J. (2024). "33: Latinx politics". In Encyclopedia of Critical Political Science. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved Aug 24, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800375918.ch33
Awards and Honors
Julio was a 2023-2025 University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Santa Barbara. His scholarship has been recognized by numerous prestigious awards including the Ford Foundation Dissertation Year Fellowship (declined), the Haynes Lindley Foundation Dissertation Year Fellowship, and the New York University Faculty First-Look Program.