Crescencio López-González
Spanish - World Languages & Cultures
Associate Professor of Latina/o Studies
Contact Information
Office Location: MHC 260Phone: +1 435 797 7384
Email: crescencio.lopez@usu.edu
Additional Information:
Educational Background
- Ph.D., Urban Latina/o Literature and Culture, University of Arizona, 2011. Dissertation: “The Urbanization of the Chicana/o Consciousness.”
- M.A., Hispanic Literature, California State University, Sacramento, 2000.
- B.A., Latin American Literature, University of California, Davis, 1997.
Biography
Crescencio López González is Associate Professor of Latina/o Studies in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Utah State University. He joined USU in 2012 and served as department head from 2022 to 2025.
His scholarship examines U.S. Latina/o literature, film, and cultural production, with particular attention to migration, urban life, trauma, memory, identity, and belonging. Drawing from literary and cultural studies, sociology, cultural geography, and urban studies, he explores how Latina/o writers and filmmakers represent the forces that shape individuals, families, and communities across generations.
His research, teaching, and community engagement form an interconnected intellectual project. In the classroom, he helps students become producers of knowledge through original research, collaborative inquiry, public presentations, experiential learning, and community engagement. Beyond the university, he works with schools, libraries, cultural organizations, and community partners to expand educational access and create spaces in which Latino histories, cultures, and experiences are recognized.
His commitment to education is rooted in his own experience as a migrant student who spent two years in English as a Second Language. From 1986 to 1990, he worked in California's agricultural fields while pursuing his education. That journey shaped his belief that students often possess greater potential than institutions initially recognize. Guided by Paulo Freire, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Dolores Huerta, he approaches education as a practice of dialogue, cultural affirmation, intellectual independence, and transformation.
Published Book
The Latino Urban Condition: Trauma, Memory, and Desire in Latino Literature and Culture. Lexington Books, 2020.
The book examines how Latinx literary narratives represent urban spaces as landscapes of trauma, dispossession, memory, aspiration, and cultural transformation.
Current Book Project
Regressive Traumatic Latina/o Experiences: An Analysis of Latina/o Literature and Culture
This project studies how recurring forms of trauma shape Latina/o identities, memories, and cultural expression across contemporary literature, film, and testimonial narratives. It considers the work of Reyna Grande, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, Valeria Luiselli, Julia Alvarez, Erika L. Sánchez, and Ernesto Quiñonez, as well as films including In the Heights, A Million Miles Away, Simón, In the Summers, and Upon Entry.
Research Themes
- Migration, displacement, and belonging
- Trauma, memory, and intergenerational experience
- Urban literature and cultural geography
- Borderlands and transnational identities
- Latinx film and visual culture
- Community-engaged scholarship and cultural representation
Recent Research Direction
Recent presentations examine undocumented migration, mental health, racialized trauma, memory, narrative resistance, and the reconstruction of identity and belonging. His scholarship has appeared in Letras Hispanas, Hispanic Research Journal, American Studies Journal, and edited collections devoted to Hispanic and Latinx literary and cultural studies.
Selected Publications and Creative Scholarship
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
- “Emancipating the Self: The (Un)Becoming of Esmeralda Santiago’s Identity.” Co-authored with Makayla Steele. Letras Hispanas, vol. 14, 2018.
- “The Mirage of Urban Capitalism and the Desire to Reorganize the Urban Space: An Analysis of Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodríguez.” Entre la ética y la estética: Estudios en homenaje a Joan Gilabert, 2017.
- “The Urbanization of the Chicano Community in the Novel Their Dogs Came with Them by Helena María Viramontes.” Hispanic Research Journal, vol. 17, no. 2, 2016.
- “The Urbanization of Gang Violence: An Analysis of the Novel Locas by Ixta Maya Murray.” Letras Hispanas, vol. 9, no. 2, 2013.
Documentary and Creative Scholarship
López González has filmed and directed documentaries exploring migration, community, literature, history, and cultural memory.
- Logan: We Are Your Neighbors! (2016), examining the experiences of Latinos living in Cache Valley.
- Rosario no eres tú (2009), exploring the life and literary work of Mexican writer Rosario Castellanos.
- Una sola familia (2007), documenting the lives of Mexican immigrants working in California’s Central Coast vineyards.
My teaching philosophy is rooted in my own educational journey as a migrant student and shaped by the work of Paulo Freire, Dolores Huerta, and Gloria Anzaldúa. I view education as a practice of freedom: a collaborative process in which students and teachers create knowledge together, question established perspectives, and connect academic inquiry to the world beyond the classroom.
I encourage students to see themselves not simply as recipients of knowledge, but as researchers, creators, and active participants in their own learning. Undergraduate research, community engagement, collaborative projects, study abroad, and experiential learning are central to my teaching. These experiences allow students to connect Spanish and Latinx studies with lived realities while developing confidence in their own voices and ideas.
I often think of my teaching style as jazz: structured around shared goals, but flexible enough to respond to the people in the room. Like musicians listening and responding to one another,
students bring different experiences, abilities, interests, and perspectives to our collective work. I adapt my teaching to create multiple pathways for participation while maintaining high expectations and encouraging students to move beyond what they initially believe they can accomplish.
Mentoring is an extension of this philosophy. Whether I am guiding students through research, Honors projects, study abroad, community engagement, or academic and professional decisions, I want them to recognize their own potential.
Ultimately, I see teaching as an act of possibility. My goal is to build bridges between scholarship and community, local and global perspectives, and students’ present experiences and the futures they are beginning to imagine.
Cources and Teaching Areas
- SPAN 3060: Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition
- SPAN 3560: Introduction to Latina and Latino Culture
- SPAN 3620: Survey of Latin American Literature
- SPAN 3640: Introduction to Latina and Latino Literature
- SPAN 4930: Topics in U.S. Latina/o Literature
- SPAN 4880: Directed Readings
- SPAN 3010: Hispanic Outreach
Undergraduate Research and Mentoring
Since joining Utah State University, Crescencio López has developed an integrated teaching model that connects classroom instruction with undergraduate research, Honors mentoring, experiential education, study abroad, and community-engaged learning.
He has mentored more than 250 undergraduate research presentations delivered at university, regional, and national conferences. He has also supervised undergraduate research assistants, guided Honors Mentoring Agreements, helped students secure research and travel funding, and co-authored peer-reviewed scholarship with undergraduate researchers.
Study Abroad
López González directed USU Spanish-language study-abroad programs at the Universidad de La Rioja in Logroño, Spain, in 2018 and 2026. These four-week immersive programs combined intensive language study with homestays, cultural excursions, experiential learning, and sustained engagement with Spanish history, literature, gastronomy, and regional identity.
López González served as head of the Department of World Languages and Cultures from 2022 to 2025. His leadership and service extend beyond the university through sustained partnerships with libraries, schools, cultural organizations, immigrant and refugee communities, and educational programs throughout Utah.
Selected Leadership and Engagement
- Founder and faculty advisor, Latinx Creative Society, 2015–present
- Founder and organizer, USU Día de los Muertos Procession, 2015–present
- Member, Logan Public Library Board of Trustees, 2015–2022 and 2026–present
- Founding member, Friends of the Logan Library, 2014–present
- Founder and organizer, Hispanic Heritage Month Festival, 2014–2021
- Member, USU Extension Latino Advisory Council, 2015–2021
- Advisory Board member, Center for Intersectional Gender Studies and Research, 2018–2025
- Organizer and host, Utah Language Access Conference, 2024
Feed Our Friends
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped organize the Feed Our Friends grassroots initiative. With support from more than 300 Cache Valley individuals and families, the initiative raised more than $40,000 and provided direct assistance for rent, mortgages, utilities, and other urgent needs.
Education Outreach
He regularly works with elementary, middle, and high school students across Utah to promote college access, bilingual literacy, educational opportunity, and community leadership.
2026 — Honorary Doctorate. Universidad Santander, in collaboration with the Mexican Civic Center of Salt Lake City, Consejo de Comunidades Hispanas A.C., Iberoamericanas FHC: Mujeres Agentes de Cambio, Portable Practical Educational Preparation, and Estado 33, Estado Migrante. Utah State Capitol, Salt Lake City, Utah, 14 Aug. 2026.
2026 — Distinguished Leadership, Resilience, and Community Impact Award. Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala, Logan, Utah. Nominated by the Latino Entrepreneurs of Northern Utah (ELONU) in recognition of sustained leadership, resilience, and service to the community.
2026 — Creative Activity and Research Enhancement (C.A.R.E.) Award. Utah State University, College of Arts & Sciences. Competitive faculty research grant awarded to support scholarly research and creative activity, $750. February 2026.
2021 — Community Diversity Award. 27th Annual Utah State University Diversity Awards, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 13 May 2021. Recognized for leading the Community COVID-19 Relief Effort, which provided assistance to more than 350 individuals and families during the pandemic.
2020 — University Service Award. Utah State University, Logan, Utah. Recognized for outstanding service to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the university community.
2019 — Received a $5,000 grant to bring Mrs. Sylvia Mendez as a distinguished speaker for the 2019–2020 Tanner Talks Series during Hispanic Heritage Month. Mrs. Mendez and her family led the fight to desegregate schools in California, and their case ultimately paved the way for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. The Anthropology Museum brought a traveling exhibit on Mendez v. Westminster from California to show the public the impact of this landmark case. September 2019.
2019 — César Chávez Peace & Justice Award. Utah Coalition of La Raza (UCLR), 26th Annual César Chávez Peace & Justice Awards Banquet, Union Event Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, 29 Mar. 2019. Honored for leadership and sustained contributions to social justice and the Latino community.
2018 — PEAK Prize. Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 11 Apr. 2018. Recognized for outstanding contributions to research, scholarship, and creative activity.
2018 — Faculty Diversity Award. 24th Annual Utah State University Diversity Awards, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 30 Mar. 2018. Recognized for advancing diversity, inclusive excellence, and community engagement through teaching, mentoring, and public outreach.
2017 — CHaSS Giraffe Award. College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 31 Mar. 2017. Recognized for innovation, leadership, and a willingness to take thoughtful risks that advanced the college and the broader community.
2017 — Teacher of the Year Award. Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies, Utah State University. Recognized for excellence in teaching and commitment to student success. Accompanied by a $50 award.
2017 — Influential Faculty Award. USU Access and Diversity Center, Utah State University. Recognized for mentoring students and advancing the mission of the Latino Student Union.
2016 — Documentary Film Funding for Latino Logan Voices. College of Humanities and Social Sciences Grant. Amount funded: $1,500.
2016 — Certificate of Appreciation. Logan Public Library. Recognized for leadership and service through the Latino Advisory Council.
2015 — Travel Grant (San José, Costa Rica). College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty Travel and Preliminary Data Gathering Grant, Utah State University. Amount funded: $1,000.
2015 — Travel Grant (Lexington, Kentucky). Women and Gender Research Institute, Utah State University. Amount funded: $500.
2015 — Robins Faculty Undergraduate Advisor of the Year Award. Utah State University. The university's highest faculty advising honor, awarded annually to one faculty member for exceptional undergraduate advising and student mentorship. Accompanied by a $1,000 award.
2015 — Faculty Undergraduate Advisor of the Year Award. College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Utah State University. Recognized for outstanding undergraduate advising and academic mentorship within the college. Accompanied by a $500 award.
2015 — Faculty Undergraduate Advisor of the Year Award. Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies, Utah State University. Recognized for excellence in undergraduate advising within the department. Accompanied by a $50 award.
2015 — Certificate of Appreciation. Logan Public Library. Recognized for leadership and service through the Latino Advisory Council.
2014 — College of Humanities and Social Sciences Spring/Summer 2014 Faculty Travel and Preliminary Data Gathering Grant, Utah State University. Amount requested: $1,000 (not funded).
2010 — Faculty Standards Teaching Award. Pima County Community College District, Tucson, Arizona. Certified as meeting district faculty standards for teaching Spanish.
2007 — Outstanding Mentor of Graduate/Professional Students Award. Graduate and Professional Student Council, The University of Arizona. Recognized for exceptional mentoring of graduate and professional students.