Announcements

L&S Staff Spotlight on Alli Warren, Geography Curriculum Planner

May 6, 2025

"I feel proud to be working in public education at a time when more critical thinking is vitally necessary."

With a background in nonprofit work, graduate school administration, and campus curriculum planning, Alli Warren brings a thoughtful, detail-oriented approach to scheduling, enrollment management, and course development. A published poet as well, she balances creativity and precision—both in her writing and in supporting Berkeley’s academic mission behind the scenes.

Read the entire interview...

Annabelle Law's Photo Essay Illuminates the Regenerative Power of Cultural Burns

August 13, 2025

Geography alumna Annabelle Law (B.A. '24) debuts her first published work, Cultivating (Bio)Culture with Fire, with a moving photo essay in Langscape Magazine. Drawing from her senior thesis research and participation in the North Fork Mono Tribe’s cultural burns at Jack Kirk Preserve in California’s Sierra Nevada, Law explores how intentional fire practices foster ecological renewal—and nurture cultural and communal ties.

Her reflective imagery and narrative highlight how burns...

The Arab Spring was Critically Acclaimed: Militant Arab Cinema Conjunctures, and the Emergence of the Character-Driven Resilience Documentary

July 21, 2025

Mary Jirmanus Saba (Geography PhD '24) explores how the decade following the Arab Spring has reshaped militant Arab cinema. In her new Antipode article, she introduces the concept of the “character-driven resilience documentary”—a subgenre that foregrounds individual narratives of resilience rather than collective radical struggle. Saba argues that while this form powerfully humanizes uprisings, it also subtly dilutes their original radical...

UC Berkeley student collective Archive of Urban Futures shines at new OMCA exhibit

July 25, 2025

"Through archival work, community workshops, and shared creative projects, the collective explores how generations of Black Oakland communities faced waves of dispossession, and asks how to imagine a future city that breaks these cycles."

Read the entire article by Rosa Norton for the UC Berkeley News, featuring former Associate Geography Professor Brandi Summers, Geography...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/07/25/uc-berkeley-student-collective-archive-of-u…

Five Years After George Floyd: A Reflection with Jovan Scott Lewis and Lakshmi Sarah

May 25, 2025

In this brief segment from KQED, journalist Lakshmi Sarah discusses the legacy of George Floyd on the fifth anniversary of his death with Geography Chair, Jovan Scott Lewis. The conversation reflects on the impact of Floyd's murder and the subsequent movements for racial justice.

Listen to the full interview here.

Get to Know: Desiree Fields

June 1, 2025

A critical economic geographer and urban scholar, Desiree Fields investigates how property, finance, and technology intersect to reshape urban spaces and social relations, with a particular focus on housing financialization and digital platforms. As Dr. Fields steps into her new role as Geography Chair, she describes her committment to preserving and building upon the strengths and values of our department.

Can you share about your background and what led you to UC Berkeley?

I grew up in the Bay Area but spent most of my adult...

Get To Know: Gerónimo Barrera de la Torre

November 4, 2024

This month we're getting to know the newest member of our department, Assistant Professor Gerónimo Barrera de la Torre, who uses social mapping and videography to highlight the multiple geographies and ways of knowing that can inform epistemic and social justice efforts.

Could you say a little bit generally about your research interests, writing, and scholarship. What has inspired the work you’re doing now?

My research interests are...

Graduate Students Honored with Prestigious Bancroft Library Awards

May 14, 2025

We’re proud to share that two of our graduate students, Tamara Jamil and Andrea Lara-Garcia, have been selected for highly competitive research fellowships from The Bancroft Library, recognizing their outstanding academic achievements.

Tamara Jamil has been awarded the Arthur J. Quinn Memorial Fellowship, established in memory of Professor of...

New Book by Ph.D. Alum Alex Werth Explores Black Sonic Politics in Oakland

May 5, 2025

We’re excited to announce that Alex Werth, a Ph.D. alum of our department, has a forthcoming book with UC Press titled On Loop: Black Sonic Politics in Oakland, scheduled for release on October 21, 2025.

Blending musical, archival, and ethnographic research with over a decade of experience as a DJ and dancer, On Loop explores how Black dance music and sonic practices have shaped—and been shaped by—ongoing struggles over race, space, and power in Oakland. A city central to the history of Black Power, Oakland...

Geography Senior Yuqi Tian Featured for Academic Excellence and Advocacy

May 15, 2025

We are proud to share that Geography senior Yuqi Tian has been profiled by UC Berkeley’s College of Letters & Science for her exceptional academic achievements and dedication to accessibility advocacy.

Since arriving from Inner Mongolia in 2021, Yuqi has made a significant impact on campus. She is graduating this semester with three bachelor's degrees in Geography, Comparative Literature, and Italian Studies, along with a minor in...