FACULTY PROFILES

Elena Foulis

Associate Professor
Chicano Studies, Languages, and Linguistics

Office Building: Graham Hall
Office Room: 300
Phone:
Email: efoulis@utep.edu

Bio

Dr. Elena Foulis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chicano Studies, Languages, and Linguistics at The University of Texas at El Paso and Interim Director of the Institute of Oral History. Her research focuses on Latina/o/e voices, language practices, oral history, and public humanities, examining how storytelling and performance serve as forms of knowledge production, cultural preservation, and community engagement.<br>Since 2014, she has directed Oral Narratives of Latin@s in Ohio (ONLO), an oral history project that has documented more than 160 video-recorded narratives. Through community-based and participatory research, her work amplifies underrepresented voices while advancing ethical approaches to oral history and archival practice.<br>Foulis is also host and producer of the Latin@ Stories podcast, which connects academic research with broader public audiences through community narratives. She is co-editor of Working en comunidad: Service-Learning and Community Engagement with U.S. Latinas/os/es (2024) and Embodied Encuentros: Oral History Archives of Latinas/os/es Experiences (2026).

Education

DPH in U.S. Latino/a writers and African American Women Writers, The University of Arkansas (2010)
MA in Spanish and Latin American Literature and Cultures, The University of Arkansas (2003)
BA in Spanish and Latin American Literature, Ohio State University (2000)

Publications

“SalviSoul: Salvadoran American’s Journey Through Recipes, Stories and Joy.” (2027), Alexandra Rodriguez Sabogal, Elena Foulis.
“Taco Chronicles: Streaming Tacoscapes and Belonging.” (2027), Jennifer Gomez Menjivar, Elena Foulis.
“De la Isla al Lago: Insights into a Community of Strong Historical and Cultural Presence in Northeast Ohio.” (2026), Elena Foulis.
“Collaborative Reflections on Building Equitable and Sustainable Partnerships Under Executive Orders.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Alexis X. Foulis.
“Trauma-Informed Oral History Practices for Social Justice in Multilingual Communities.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Rachel Showstack, Kelly Guzman.
Salvi Foodways: Pláticas, Recipes, and Digital Intersections.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Jennifer Gomez Menjivar.
“Con Cariño: Beyond Best Practices in Oral Histories with Latina/o/e Communities.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Jesus Esparza.
“Elevar, educar y apoyar: El rol de las organizaciones sin fines de lucro en el éxito académico de los jóvenes latines.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Yahaira Perez-Caraballo.
Embodied Encounters: Oral History Archives of Latina/o/e Experiences Ohio State University Press (2026), Elena Foulis.
“The Body in Pain Across Languages: Translating Medical Records into Art.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Julieta Manrique.
Centering Oral Histories to Build Communities of Care in Troubling Times. (2026), Stephanie Aubry, Elena Foulis.
“Salvi Foodways: Pláticas, Recipes, and Digital Intersections.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Jennifer Gomez Menjivar.
“Y en el 57 me casé con él, y fue por él que me quedé aquí en Ohio: Narrative Voice in Latina/o/e Oral Histories.” (2025), Elena Foulis.
“I didn’t write this for you: Translanguaging in Pages and in the Classroom.” (2024), Elena Foulis.
“Comida y Convivencia: Building community through food and food stories.” (2024), Elena Foulis.
“Latinx/e Midwest Archives: Fostering Querencia using Digital Humanities projects.” (2024), Elena Foulis, Stacey Alex.
“Hablantes de Herencia.” (2024), Diego Pascual Y Cabo, Elena Foulis.
“Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy at Hispanic Serving Institutions: The Case for Centering Heritage Language Learners’ Experiences in Spanish Programs.” (2023), Elena Foulis, Katherine Guillen.
“Historias de Una Pandemia: Documenting Latina/os/x Stories During Covid-19 Through Performed Storytelling.” (2022), Elena Foulis.
Archiving Bilingual Latin@ Oral Histories. (2022), Elena Foulis, Brandon D'Souza.

Presentations

No info available.

Grants

No info available.

Current/Future Courses

Term	Course	Section	Syllabus
Fall 2026	SPAN 2304 - Spanish for Spanish Spkrs Two	10592	Syllabus

Past Courses

No info available.

Course Evaluations

No info available.

Bio

DPH in U.S. Latino/a writers and African American Women Writers, The University of Arkansas (2010)
MA in Spanish and Latin American Literature and Cultures, The University of Arkansas (2003)
BA in Spanish and Latin American Literature, Ohio State University (2000)

Publications

“SalviSoul: Salvadoran American’s Journey Through Recipes, Stories and Joy.” (2027), Alexandra Rodriguez Sabogal, Elena Foulis.
“Taco Chronicles: Streaming Tacoscapes and Belonging.” (2027), Jennifer Gomez Menjivar, Elena Foulis.
“De la Isla al Lago: Insights into a Community of Strong Historical and Cultural Presence in Northeast Ohio.” (2026), Elena Foulis.
“Collaborative Reflections on Building Equitable and Sustainable Partnerships Under Executive Orders.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Alexis X. Foulis.
“Trauma-Informed Oral History Practices for Social Justice in Multilingual Communities.” (2026), Elena Foulis, Rachel Showstack, Kelly Guzman.

Presentations

No info available.

Current/Future Courses

Term

Fall 2026

Course

SPAN 2304 - Spanish for Spanish Spkrs Two

Section

10592

Syllabus

Past Courses

No info available.

Elena Foulis

Bio

Education

Scholarly and Creative Activity

Grants

Courses

Course Evaluations