My name is Dr. John A. Mundell and I am an interdisciplinary scholar of Black Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, a foreign language educator, and translator. My research and teaching focus on black popular culture, gender and sexuality, and theories of racial formation in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Lusophone Africa.

I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in African and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. I completed my Ph.D. in African American and African Diaspora Studies with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality, from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to my Ph.D., I earned a Masters in Ethnic and African Studies from the Universidade Federal da Bahia in Salvador, Brazil where I lived for five years. Before moving to Brazil, I earned a Masters in Spanish Education from Wake Forest University and my B.A. in Spanish, Latin American Studies, and Afro-American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

I call many places home, among them Raleigh, North Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri; Salvador, Brazil; and Quito, Ecuador. I am an enthusiastic supporter of study abroad for students, having studied in Ecuador and Argentina during my undergraduate career. In addition to my love of travel and learning languages, I am a passionate chef and baker. Beyond WashU, I work as an instructor at Fennel Cooking Studio in St. Louis where I teach Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, offering students the tools and confidence to explore an array of ingredients and flavors within a culturally informed context.

Outside of academia and the kitchen, I enjoy wandering around St. Louis with my partner, Cliff, and our toy Goldendoodle, Pepita, to peruse the farmers’ markets and scout out all the dog-friendly establishments around town.