Gilbert Mireles
Associate Professor of Sociology
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Maxey Hall 328
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509-527-5259
Gilbert Mireles is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Whitman College. He teaches courses in social stratification, social movements, Latino/as in U.S Society and introductory sociology. He has also taught the Whitman First Year Experience course.
Professor Mireles’ research is broadly focused on the socio-political integration of immigrant communities into the United States.
His book, "Continuing La Causa: Organizing Labor in California’s Strawberry Fields" (Lynne Reinner 2013) examined labor mobilization among immigrant workers in California's agriculture industry. He has also conducted research on home ownership among immigrant farm workers and collaborated with researchers at Eastern Washington University to examine the attitudes and perceptions of Latino/a entrepreneurs in Washington State.
Mireles is a former member of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs. While on the Commission, Mireles edited the Washington State Hispanic Assessment Report. He has also been involved with the State of the State of Washington Latinos Project at Whitman College and served on the Walla Walla County Housing Commission.
Mireles is originally from California's Central Valley, with family roots extending to Texas and Michoacán, Mexico. He and his wife have two school-aged daughters. In his free time, Mireles enjoys spending time with his daughters, running and fishing.
Ph.D. Sociology
Yale University
2005
M.Phil. Sociology
Yale University
2003
B.A Sociology with Honors
Swarthmore College
1996
Professor Mireles teaches a range of courses in the sociology department. He's happy to discuss any of the courses or share syllabi for them, feel free to contact him at mirelegp@whitman.edu
- Principles of Sociology
- Latin@s in the United States
- Social Movements
- Social Stratification
- Economic Sociology
- Sociological Theory
- Current Issues in Sociology
- Senior Thesis
Professor Mireles’ research is broadly focused on the socio-political integration of immigrant communities into U.S society. Students have collaborated with him on different research projects. If you are a Whitman student and interested in working with Professor Mireles as a research assistant, please let him know.
Professor Mireles has explored the various pathways taken by immigrants to adapt into American society and culture. His book, "Continuing La Causa: Organizing Labor in California’s Strawberry Fields" (2013) examined labor mobilization among immigrant workers in California's agriculture industry. He has also conducted research on the link between home ownership and civic engagement among immigrant farm workers. In addition, he has collaborated with researchers at Eastern Washington University to examine the attitudes and perceptions of Latino/a entrepreneurs in Washington State.
His current research follows alumni from a summer program that operated in California during the 1980s that connected students from an underserved Central Valley high school to an academic enrichment program at U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education.