Melanie Plasencia

Chavez Fellow, 2021-2024

Melanie Z. Plasencia received her Ph.D. from the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research examines how older Latina/o/xs in the U.S. negotiate the challenges of aging in the context of extreme poverty, deteriorating health, and diminishing government support. Presently, she is the César Chávez Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College, where she will teach for the Department of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies and work on her book manuscript, tentatively titled "Aging on the Hudson." She will also continue as the student representative for the Aging and Lifecourse section of the ASA. Her research can be read in the Journals Social Problems and The Gerontologistand has been supported by the AARP, Center for Race and Gender and the Ford Foundation. She has taught over fourteen courses for Universities on the East and West Coasts. As a former Ronald E. Mcnair Scholar, Melanie enjoys giving back and mentoring students from diverse backgrounds in her areas of specialty. Her public scholarship can be read in the American Society on Aging's journal, Generations Today, and Inside Higher Ed.

Contact

Raven 216

Education

  • B.A. Rutgers University
  • M.A. University of California, Berkeley
  • Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley

Selected Publications

  • PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

    "Age-Friendly as Tranquilo Ambiente: How Cultural Perspectives Shape Older Latinos' Lived Environment," The Gerontologist, Special Issue on Age-Friendly Environments, forthcoming.  

    "'I don't have much money, but I have a lot of friends': How Poor Older Latinos Find Tangible Support in Peer Friendship Networks," Social Problems, https://academic.oup.com/socpro/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/soc...

    ​Julia Sizek with Isabel G. Valdivia and Melanie Z. Plasencia, "Addressing Latinx Social inequality in Later Life." Written interview. Social Science Matrix, December 10th, 2021.

  • BOOK CHAPTERS

    " 'La Iglesia Es Mi Comunidad': A Union City Latinx Destination From Arrival to Old Age," in Latino New Jersey, edited by Ulla Dalum Berg and Aldo Lauria Santiago (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press), forthcoming. 

  • ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRIES

    "Antonio Ibarria (1935-) and El Especialito (Union City, NJ) (1985)," in Latinos in the American Political System: An Encyclopedia of Latinos as Voters, Candidates, and Office Holders, edited by Jessica Lavariega Monforti (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO), 2019, 172-173. 

    "Robert 'Bob' Menendez (1954-)," in Latinos in the American Political System: An Encyclopedia of Latinos as Voters, Candidates, and Office Holders, edited by Jessica Lavariega Monforti (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO), 2019, 319-320. 

  • REVIEWS

    Review of Theresa Delgadillo, Latina Lives in Milwaukee, in Latino Studies 15, no. 3 (Fall 2017): 386-388. 

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Works In Progress

"Reimagining Care for Latinx Senior Survival" (draft available upon request)