Mary Bucholtz
Photo: Daniel Chui/Chewy Photography

I’m a sociocultural linguist

with a strong commitment to interdisciplinarity; in addition to my position in the UCSB Department of Linguistics, I’m affiliated with the Department of Anthropology, the Department of Feminist Studies, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, the Comparative Literature Program, and the Latin American and Iberian Studies Program.

My research focuses primarily on how social identities and cultural practices are brought into being through linguistic interaction. I have investigated this question in relation to race, gender, and youth identities as well as within the context of how undergraduate science and math students become socialized into scientific cultures through peer interaction.

My current research seeks to explore the diverse forms of language and culture within California, especially in collaboration with graduate and undergraduate students as well as youth and educational partners in the Santa Barbara area.