Gina Pérez is a cultural anthropologist and was one of the first faculty hired in the Comparative American Studies (CAS) Program in 2003.

She is the author of two award-winning books—The Near Northwest Side Story: Gender, Migration and Puerto Rican Families (2004, University of California Press) and Citizen, Student, Soldier: Latina/o Youth, JROTC and the American Dream  (2015, New York University Press). She is also the coeditor of two anthologies: Beyond el Barrio: Everyday Life in Latina/o America  (coedited with Frank Guridy and Adrian Burgos Jr., 2011, New York University Press) and Ethnographic Refusals, Unruly Latinidades (coedited with Alex Chávez, 2022, University of New Mexico Press, School for Advanced Research Advanced Seminar Series).

Her research interests include Latinas/os, youth, militarism, gender, migration, urban ethnography, and faith-based organizing. Her new project focuses on sanctuary movements and multiethnic faith-based organizing among Latina/o communities in Ohio.

Like other CAS faculty, Pérez teaches at all levels of the curriculum and seeks to connect her research and teaching by developing new courses that reflect new intellectual interests in the field of American studies, Latina/o/x studies, and her own research.

She also regularly offers courses that are grounded in community-based learning and research methods, theories, and practice that connect students to Latina/o/x communities in Lorain and throughout Northeast Ohio. With the support and guidance of the Oberlin College Libraries’ staff, Pérez also works with students to develop their skills of public and community engagement by developing web-based platforms like Omeka to share research findings with a broader public.

Dr. Pérez is bilingual – fluent in Spanish and English.