Dr. Xuan Santos is a full professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology & Justice Studies at California State University, San Marcos. He directs the California Pre-Doctoral Program at the California State University Chancellor's Office. Dr. Santos co-founded Project Rebound and served as its Executive Director. He also co-chaired the Education without Borders initiative at CSU San Marcos.

Dr. Santos earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research and publications focus on Public Sociology, the Informal Economy and Global Capitalism, Immigration, Barrio Criminology, Gangs, and the intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Nation. He also explores Barrio Popular Culture, particularly Graffiti and Tattooing. In 2021-2022, he led the California Sociological Association as its President.

As an award-winning educator, Dr. Santos received several honors, including the 2023 Project Rebound Appreciation Award, the 2021 President's Award for Scholarship and Creative Activity, the All-People’s Celebration "Builds Community Award," the Civility Champion Award, and the Civility Icon Award.

A Chicano activist-scholar and self-taught artist from Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, Dr. Xuan Santos actively engages with the North San Diego community through leading mural projects and Día de los Muertos displays. He delivers motivational keynote presentations at middle schools, high schools, college campuses, and community forums. Through his teaching philosophy, Dr. Santos empowers individuals from invisible and disenfranchised communities, striving to erase the margins.

Dr. Santos continued work with formally incarcerated, gang-involved, and justice impacted students received media attention:

• San Marcos Chicano Activist, Educator Says Mentors Are the Way Out
• Professor, Chicano activist Dr. Xuan Santos pays it forward

Ph.D. in Sociology - University of California-Santa Barbara (2012)

MA in Sociology - California State University-Dominguez Hills (2001)

BA in Sociology - California State University-Los Angeles (1998)

Journal Articles

• Flores, Jerry, Kristen Emory, and Xuan Santos. (2022). “‘I think the mental part is the biggest factor’: A Qualitative Study of the First Year of Covid-19 and its Negative Effects on 13 Indigenous Women in Toronto, Canada.” Frontiers in Sociology, Vol. 7, p. 790397-790397.
• Flores, Jerry, Ariana Ochoa Camacho, and Xuan Santos. (2017). “Gender on the Run: Wanted Latinas in a Southern California Barrio.” Feminist Criminology, 12(3): 248-268.
• Robinson, William I., and Xuan Santos. (2014). “Global Capitalism, Immigrant Labor, and the Struggle for Justice.” Class, Race and Corporate Power, 2(3): 1-16.
• Santos, Xuan. (2010). “The Chicana Canvas: Doing Class, Gender, Race, and Sexuality through Tattooing in East Los Angeles.” National Women’s Studies Association Journal, 21(3): 91-120.

Book Chapters

• Salinas, Marisa D., and Xuan Santos. (2023). “‘I wanted to be the first Mexican Mafia female member:’ An Intersectional Criminological Analysis of Chicana Gang Members in California.” In Jennifer Ortiz (Ed.), Critical and Intersectional Gang Studies. CA: Routledge.
• Santos, Xuan, Oscar Soto, Martin Leyva, and Christopher Bickel. (2023). “Barrio Criminology.” In Nishaun T. Battle, Michael J. Coyle, Viviane Saleh-Hanna, and Jason M. Williams (Eds.), Abolish Criminology. CA: Routledge.
• Santos, Xuan, and Martin Leyva. (2022). “California Placaso: The Social Construction of Chicanx Gang Graffiti.” In D. Brotherton and R.J. Gude (Eds.), Routledge International Handbook on Critical Gang Studies. NY: Routledge.
• Flores, Jerry, Xuan Santos, and Ariana Ochoa Camacho. (2021). “On the Run and In/Out of the System: Understanding Latina Girls in a Southern California Barrio.” In V. Lopez and L. Pasko (Eds.), Latinas in the Criminal Justice System: Victims, Targets, and Offenders. NY: New York University Press.
• Vargas, Manuel, and Xuan Santos. (2020). “An Opportunity Giver.” In M. Vargas (Ed.), Navigating the American Education System. NC: Information Age Publishing.
• Santos, Xuan, and Christopher Bickel. (2017). “Apartheid Justice: Gang Injunctions and the New Black Codes.” In M. Deflem (Ed.), Race, Ethnicity and the Law. Sociology of Crime, Law and Deviance, Vol. 22. Binkley, UK: Emerald.

Forthcoming

• Santos, Xuan. (2024). Opportunity Givers: The Power of Embracing Transformative Redemption for Formerly Incarcerated and Criminal Legal System Impacted Students.

Courses I have taught at CSUSM:

• Sociology 101: Introduction to Sociology
• Sociology 105: Introduction to Justice Studies
• Sociology 311: Inequality
• Sociology 322: Critical Perspectives of Gangs
• Sociology 325: Criminology
• Sociology 442: Capstone in Topics in the Criminal [in]justice system: Focus on The School to Prison Pipeline/The Prison to School Pipeline
• Sociology 444: Perspectives on Corrections and Penology
• Sociology 490: Immigration Justice
• Sociology 495: Capstone Seminar in Community Service or Internships in Criminology and Justice Studies
• Sociology 640: Social Advocacy
• Sociology 660: Teaching Sociology [graduate seminar]

• Santos, Xuan. (2019). “Firsthand Perspective of Dr. Xuan Santos-Immigrant, Advocate, and Professor.” In M. Clark-Ibañez and R. Swan (Eds.), Unauthorized: Portraits of Latino Immigrants. NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
• Santos, Xuan. (2015). “Spare Parts.” Contemporary Justice Review, 19(1): 164-167.

• Santos, Xuan, and Marisa Salinas. (2023). Community Mural Project.
• Santos, Xuan. (2020). Bad Hombres: Latinxs and The Criminal Justice System (Documentary). Latino Justice, PRLDEF (National Latinx Civil Rights Group).
• Santos, Xuan. (2020). Community Mural Project. San Marcos.
• Santos, Xuan. (2019). Prison Cell Art Project. Kellogg Library.
• Santos, Xuan. (2019). Dia De Los Muertos Altar. Oceanside: Mission San Luis Rey.
• Santos, Xuan. (2018). Dia de los Muertos Altar. Los Angeles: Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
• Santos, Xuan. (2017). Dia de los Muertos Altar. Los Angeles: Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
• Santos, Xuan. (2016). Dia de los Muertos Altar. Los Angeles: Hollywood Forever Cemetery.