Bio

Theodore S. Gonzalves, Ph.D. is a scholar of comparative cultural studies, a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and former interim director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. His career has spanned teaching positions in the United States, Spain, and the Philippines, as well as leadership roles in cultural organizations and academic institutions.

Theo’s award-winning work bridges academic scholarship, creative practice, and community engagement. His books include Stage Presence: Conversations with Filipino American Performing Artists (2007), The Day the Dancers Stayed: Performing in the Filipino/American Diaspora (2009), Carlos Villa and the Integrity of Spaces (2011), Filipinos in Hawai’i (2011, co-authored with Roderick N. Labrador), and Gossip, Sex, and the End of the World: Collected Works of tongue in A mood (2021, co-edited with A. Samson Manalo). His 2023 book, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101 Objects, won the Smithsonian Secretary’s Research Prize. A former editor of American Quarterly, Theo currently serves on the advisory and editorial boards of Plaridel, Amerasia Journal, and Alon: Journal for Filipinx American and Diasporic Studies.

In the performing arts, Theo has served on the advisory boards of Kumu Kahua Theatre (Honolulu) and Bindlestiff Studio (San Francisco), co-founding the artist-run recording label Jeepney Dash Records, and played keyboards for Bobby Banduria. He also toured as musical director for the theater troupe tongue in A mood and composed scores for independent films. His musical work has been showcased at the Asian American Jazz Festival and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Theo’s contributions have been recognized with honors including the Fulbright U.S. Scholar award, the Moeson fellowship at the Library of Congress, and fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2023, he joined the Organization of American Historians’ Distinguished Lectureship Program. Previously, Theo held tenured faculty positions at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he chaired the Department of American Studies. A past president of the Association for Asian American Studies, he also served on the Board of Directors for the American Council of Learned Societies. He is based in Washington, D.C.