Patricia Zavella Honored for Career Contributions to Gender Equity
The American Anthropological Association’s Committee on Gender Equity in Anthropology (CoGEA) has honored Dr. Patricia Zavella (University of California, Santa Cruz) with the 2016 CoGEA Award in recognition of her sustained academic career devoted to the study of women’s work, gender discrimination and inequalities based on sex. The committee felt that Dr. Zavella’s career accomplishments advancing the status of women, and especially Latina and Chicana women, were especially noteworthy.
“The committee was particularly impressed by Dr. Zavella’s trail-breaking contributions to Chicana feminism,” said CoGEA chair Rebecca Galemba. “She has inspired current and future scholars, students, and activists to fight for social justice and combat interlocking forms of discrimination.”
Zavella joined UC Santa Cruz in 1984 and served as chair of the Latin America and Latino Studies Department from 2007-2011 and again from 2014 until June 30, 2016. She also previously served as director of the Chicano/Latino Research Center. She received her undergraduate degree from Pitzer College, and her masters and PhD from UC Berkeley. She had a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford's Center for Chicano Research before joining the UCSC faculty.
Dr. Zavella’s research has earned her a high-ranking place among feminist scholars and especially among scholars of Chicano/Latino women. In addition to a prolific publishing profile, Dr. Zavella was a co-winner of the 2010 Prize for Distinguished Achievement in the Critical Study of North America given by the Society for the Anthropology of North America. Dr. Zavella also received the 2003 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies, “Scholar of the Year Award,” given to individuals of extraordinary distinction in the hemisphere who combine superlative social activism, teaching, and research.
Dr. Zavella will be honored at the 115th AAA Annual Meeting in Minneapolis this November.
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Founded in 1902, the American Anthropological Association, with more than 10,000 members, is the world’s largest professional organization of anthropologists. The Association is dedicated to advancing human understanding and tackling the world’s most pressing problems.
