Julia Brown-Bernstein is a historian specializing in late-twentieth century U.S. history, with a focus on the U.S. Southwest and U.S.-Mexican Borderlands. Trained as an interdisciplinary scholar, her research explores the ways in which late-stage global capitalism has reshaped social relations, working-class cultures, and notions of belonging in urban settings across the Western Hemisphere. Her current book project examines how residents of California’s San Fernando Valley, particularly recent migrants, responded to the shifts caused by regional deindustrialization and the privatization of social services from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Julia’s work highlights how, in the face of neoliberal economic restructuring, residents of the San Fernando Valley forged civic and social membership beyond the boundaries of formal citizenship.
Julia received her Ph.D. in history from the University of Southern California in 2024. Before pursuing her doctorate Julia taught 8th-grade U.S. history in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. She also holds an M.Ed. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor's degree from Oberlin College.
You can reach her at julia.brown-bernstein@yale.edu