Elena Sabogal is a Visiting Scholar at Rutgers University with the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS).
Dr. Sabogal holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Florida International University. Her work focuses primarily on the fields of migration and community studies with a particular emphasis on gender, social class, and generational dynamics. She brings attention to the overlooked voices and contributions of Latinas in the past and how, in recent years, they have been able to place themselves in positions of power and influence.
She retired from William Paterson University and served as a faculty member in the Departments of Women’s and Gender Studies, Community and Social Justice Studies, and the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. Her work was student-centered and focused on advocacy for the Latinx community on campus. As one of the founding members of the Coalition for Immigration Justice, she led a faculty initiative to support undocumented students and workers on campus. She also led the Latinx Faculty Caucus, a group that brought attention to concerns about representation, equity, and justice issues.
Throughout her tenure at WPU, she held numerous roles, including Director of the Latin American and Latinx Studies Program, Chair of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, and was a member of various advisory boards such as the Paterson Metropolitan Region Research Institute, the Gandhian Forum for Peace and Justice; and the HSI Task Force among others.
Dr. Sabogal co-authored Multi-Ethnic Miami: Immigration and the Rise of a Global City and has authored several articles about Peruvian and Latin American migration to South Florida. Her current research explores the roles that immigrants have played in shaping the cultural, economic, religious, and social landscape in Paterson and how they have contributed to its vibrant multicultural identity today.