Dr. Jimiliz Valiente-Neighbours immigrated from the Philippines to Long Beach, California as a child. Her transnational upbringing has greatly influenced her faith practices, teaching and pedagogy, research interests, and community engagement. For example, her article “Mobility, Embodiment, and Scales: Filipino Immigrant Perspectives on Local Food” (2012) argues that local food scholars and activists need to consider the standpoints of communities who define “local” and “local food” differently, to expand their work toward social justice matters around food. For her involvement in the community, she has tutored refugees in City Heights, cooked for and ate meals alongside housing-insecure folks in Santa Cruz, broke bread with women in the Santa Cruz county jail, and is now working with the Restorative Justice Mediation Program as a facilitator at the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility. Her passion for teaching is grounded by her commitment to Freirean pedagogy for social change and fostering spaces where students can discuss difficult topics with courage and respect, while developing empathetic understanding and the sociological imagination.
Education
- Ph.D., Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz
- M.A., Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz
- B.A, Ethnic Studies, University of California, San Diego
- B.A., Literature/Writing, University of California, San Diego
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Sociology – SOC 101
- Race and Ethnicity – SOC 360
- Medical Sociology – SOC 470
Experience in Field
- Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Point Loma Nazarene University, 2016 – present
- Adjunct Faculty, Department of Sociology, California State University San Marcos, 2015 – 2016
- Adjunct Faculty, Department of Sociology, University of San Diego, 2016
- Instructor of Record, Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2013 –2015
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Sociology and American Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2010 – 2014
- Learning Communities Seminar Instructor, University of California, San Diego, 2005 – 2008
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, University of California, San Diego, 2003 – 2005
Professional and Community Involvement
- Sacred Conversation on Race, Coordinator, Peace United Church of Christ, Santa Cruz, 2014 – 2015
- Interfaith Satellite Shelter Program Volunteer, Peace United Church of Christ, Santa Cruz, 2012 – 2015
- Santa Cruz County Jail Ministry, Peace United Church of Christ, Santa Cruz, 2009 – 2015
- Global Missions Perspectives and Partnerships Ministry Leader, Experience Church, San Diego, 2007 – 2008
- College and Young Professionals Ministry Leader, Experience Church, San Diego, 2004 – 2008
Awards and Honors
- California State University San Marcos Civility Champion, 2015
- University of California President's Dissertation-Year Fellowship, 2014
- University of California Center for New Racial Studies Research Fellowship, 2013
- University of California Santa Cruz, Department of Sociology, Outstanding Teaching Award, 2012
- Rural Sociological Association, Olaf Larson Graduate Paper Award, 2010
Dissertations, Presentations, and Publications
- Dissertation: "Racialized Bodies and Phantom Limb Citizenship: The Case of the Filipino World War II Veterans"
- Valiente-Neighbours, Jimiliz M. 2015. “Beyond ‘Post-Race Paralysis’: Creating Critical Dialogue on Race in the Obama Era.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity Journal 1(2): 331-335. DOI: 10.1177/2332649215569605.
- Valiente-Neighbours, Jimiliz M. 2012. "Mobility, Embodiment, and Scales: Filipino Immigrant Perspectives on Local Food.” Agriculture and Human Values Journal 29(4): 531-541. DOI 10.1007/s10460-012-9379-5.
- "Social Media in Everyday Life as a Resource for Teaching Social Theory." Pacific Sociological Association Conference. Portland, Oregon, April 2017.
- “Incarceration, Rights of the Imprisoned, and Solutions Beyond Prisons.” UC Santa Cruz Guest Lecture in Issues and Problems in American Society course. February 25, 2014.
