Academic Portfolio
As a multi-ethnic woman (Mexican-Hawaiian-Chinese) and first generation scholar, Dr. Lani Cupchoy recognizes the barriers faced by women of color and other underserved populations in higher education and professionally. As a University educator with K-18 teaching experience since 1997, Dr. Cupchoy maintains a deep commitment to developing culturally relevant knowledges-pedagogies-practices and civic engagement that empowers communities stemming from innovative student-centered pedagogies, active-learning methods, and socially engaged projects. Grounded in community-based histories that have raised and nurtured her, Dr. Cupchoy seeks to continue improving equity and inclusion systems through teaching, scholarship, civic engagement and other creative works that deepens intellectual work and makes it accessible to broader audiences.
“The radical work of healing our communities remains central to civil rights activism and social justice struggles.” – Lani Cupchoy, Ph.D.
Lani Cupchoy, Ph.D.
Education
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Ph.D. History – United States and World History – University of California at Irvine
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M.A. History – Transnational Asia, Latin America and US – California State University at Los Angeles
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B.A. History – Focus on Asian-American Studies and Chicanx Studies – University of California at Los Angeles
Areas of Specialization
Public History, Chicanx Latinx Studies, Ethnic and Gender Studies, Asian American-Pacific Island Studies, Indigenous knowledge, US Transnational-Global History, History of the Americas, Critical Food Studies, Oral History-Testimonios, Visual & Digital Storytelling, Civic Engagement
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor – Chicana(o) Latina(o) Studies – California State University at Los Angeles
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Visiting Assistant Professor – Intercollegiate Department of Chicana(o) Latina(o) Studies – Pitzer College
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Visiting Assistant Professor – Department of Education – Attallah College of Educational Studies – Chapman University
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Visiting Assistant Professor – Intercollegiate Department of Chicana(o) Latina(o) Studies – Pomona College
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Lecturer – Departments of History & Chicana(o) Latina(o) Studies – California State University at Los Angeles
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Lecturer – Department of History – University of California at Irvine
Publications
Book:
Lani Cupchoy and Robert Cupchoy
Echoes of Memory: War, Testimony, and Survival on Sanzao Island
Barnes and Noble Press, 2026
Echoes of Memory reconstructs the experiences of civilians on Sanzao Island during the Japanese occupation of China (1937–1945). Drawing on oral histories, family archives, poetry, and historical research, the book documents survivor testimony and community memory to illuminate everyday life, survival, and the transmission of memory across generations.
“Two generations of effort resulted in the first reconstruction, in English, of war crimes committed by the Japanese army in Sanzao.”
“While past trauma can never be erased, it must be heard — and not repeated. The Cupchoys listened with their hearts.”
“An essential teaching text for world history and oral history methodology.”
Article:
“Legacy of the Land: Reclaiming Hawaiian Kuleana Land Rights in Hawai’i”
Ethnic Studies Pedagogies Journal, Dec 2024, Vol. 2, Issue 2.
Special Issue:
Lead Editor:
Pedagogies for Creative Justice: K-16 Artivism, Digital Media & Filmmaking
Ethnic Studies Pedagogies Journal (ESPJ), July 2024, Vol. 2 Issue 1.
Article:
“Digital Testimonios & Reimagining Public History: University Courses, Micro-Documentaries & Community Archives”
California History Journal (University of California Press), February 2024, 101 (1): 52-65.
Special Issue:
Lead Editor:
Pedagogies for Creative Justice: Artivism, Digital Media & Filmmaking
Ethnic Studies Pedagogies Journal (ESPJ), December 2023, Vol. 1 Issue 2.
Article:
“Healing our Histories through Otros Saberes: Latina Activism, Testimonios & Intergenerational Food Justice”
Latino Studies Journal (Palgrave Macmillan), July 2023, Vol. 22, Issue 1.
Article:
Watts Teach-in: ‘Restorative Histories’ through Activist-led Scholarship
Co-authored. California History Journal (University of California Press), November 2022, 99 (4): 82-97.
Book Review:
Latina Lives, Latina Narratives: Influential Essays by Vicki L. Ruiz, edited by Miroslava Chávez-García
California History Journal (University of California Press), Fall 2022, 99 (3): 68–70.
Article:
“Breaking the University Myth: Deepening Student Engagement through Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Creative Practice”
Co-authored. Diálogo: An Interdisciplinary Studies Journal (University of Texas Press), Vol. 21, No. 2. 2018.
Article:
“Fragments of Memory: Tales of a Wahine Warrior”
Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2010: 35.
Selected Public History Articles
“Testimonio of a 21st Century Indie Filmmaker”
Landscape Latino, October, 2022
“Legendmaking: An Interview with Gregory Esparza on Transcending Language Politics and Racialized Identities in Chicana/o/x Music”
Landscape Latino, September, 2022
“Decolonizing the Vaccine and the Rise of Holistic Healing”
Latino Rebels, April, 2020
“Love in a Time of the Coronavirus”
Latino Rebels, March, 2020
“Divine Feminine”
Journal of Pacific Horticulture, Volume 80, No. 2, July, 2019
“Safe Zone Districts: A Call for Democratic Inclusivity in Our K-12 Public Schools”
Latino Rebels, December, 2016
“The Fifth-Graders Who Put Mexican Repatriation Back into History Books”
Yes!Magazine, August, 2016
“The Heart of a Hawaiian: We Are Mauna Kea”
Honolulu Civil Beat, August, 2015
“Montebello Unified and the March of Ethnic Studies” (Co-author)
Pasadena Star News, March, 2015
“Youth Fight Childhood Obesity and Diabetes”
Community Greening Review, Vol. 16, 2011: 8
“Not Just About UH Football: Bypass Road Threatens Hawaii’s Warrior Heritage”
Hawaii Island Journal (Honolulu Weekly) Vol. 10, No. 1, (January 2008): 5
