CSUSB History Graduate Publishes Articles on the Intersection of Immigration and Faith Communities, on the Path to a UCLA PhD
A recent graduate of the CSUSB Master of Arts in History program has published several articles that reflect the urgent issues of the moment in southern California. José Luis Castro Padilla is now a PhD student in the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies, working at the intersection of faith, immigration, and race in American history.
Most recently, Castro Padilla published an article titled, “Los Angeles Fights Back: Catholics in the Mexican American Struggle for Dignity,” in Perspectives, the flagship journal of the leading American professional association of history scholars, the American Historical Association. His timely work is illuminating for scholars across disciplines, and provides rich context for troubling current events.
As CSUSB MA in History student advised by Professor Michael Karp, Castro Padilla gained writing and editing experience publishing multiple articles and reviews in the CSUSB History Department’s award-winning student journal, History in the Making. These published works included a review of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, where he also served as a docent.
Karp noted, “It was such a privilege to have Jose as a student. From the outset of his time in our MA program, he worked with diligence and a keen eye for how historical scholarship can inform our present day challenges. That passion has clearly carried directly into his doctoral studies and recent publications. We’re proud to have had the chance to work with a rising scholar like Jose.”
Castro Padilla noted, “One of the things I'm grateful for is having had the opportunity to contribute to the History in the Making journal. The editors' support and collaborative approach helped me understand how scholarly and opinion articles are created and published. This experience helped me with my academic growth.” About his time in the CSUSB History Department, Castro Padilla continued, “I'm proud to be a CSUSB alumnus. Dr. Murray, Dr. Karp, and the history department helped me achieve my next academic step: entering a doctoral program at UCLA. They never left me alone and guided me to the end.”
Born and raised in Mexico City, Castro Padilla earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies in Mexico, and a second Bachelor of Arts in History at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He was a member of the inaugural cohort in the CSUSB MA in History program, starting in 2020 and graduating in 2022.
Today, Castro Padilla continues to work across disciplines and make scholarly analysis and contextualization accessible to a wider audience. In another recent article, “Before Brown v. Board of Education: Paul J. McCormick, the Mendez v. Westminster Decision, and its Religious-Social Context,” for the journal, U.S. Catholic Historian, Castro Padilla expands our understanding of the intertwined histories of Los Angeles, desegregation, and immigration on the eve of the civil rights movement.