stories

Ethnic Studies professor honored for her work on the political history of Latina women in the U.S.

By Julia Joyce '19

Because of her devotion to social justice and her passion for her research on the history of Latina women’s political activism in the U.S., Professor Anna Sampaio (Ethnic Studies) was awarded the Public Intellectual Award at the College of Arts and Sciences’ Fall 2018 Convocation. This award, one of the highest in the College, recognizes the effective, far-reaching, and timely use of scholarly expertise to address issues of major public concern in a way that promotes reasoned analysis and humane understanding.

During her sabbatical, Sampaio was able to work with the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, where she embarked on a project called Gender Watch, which aimed to connect researchers and people in the political sphere, with the hope of figuring out how research can best aid campaigns.

<pSampaio, along with 60 to 80 other analysts, worked as a collective to produce research specifically on Latina voters and candidates. These varied and in-depth analyses would then be shared with reporters and news outlets to ensure this project would "help direct, shape, and affect women in politics."

Not only did this project have what Sampaio called "a measurable impact on the national dialogue," it also highlighted a population of voters and candidates that historically receive less attention, all while being grounded in real research.

On the project, Sampaio said, "It was a great example of my research self, my activist self, and my political science self coming together with very practical ends."

An SCU alumna herself, Sampaio's efforts to better the world have not ended with her work with the CAWP. At SCU, she continues to work on her latest book project, Terrorizing Latinas, while serving as the Ethnic Studies Department’s inaugural department chair, having been instrumental in establishing the department back in 2016.