Coryn Hardison

Coryn Hardison is a PhD student in the History Department at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on gender, sexuality, and popular culture in the United States and the American colonial Philippines, with particular interest in the links between performance and cultural constructions of femininity, race, and empire. Before coming to Berkeley, Coryn earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from UCLA, specializing in archival studies. She has worked as an archivist in both academic and community-based institutions, including CSU Dominguez Hills and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, where she continues to serve on the Archives Committee.

Research Interests

• U.S. imperialism
• Gender and sexuality
• Popular culture
• Transpacific American studies
• Dance and performance 
• Urban history
• Girlhood studies

Education

MLIS, Archival Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 2021

BA, History, summa cum laude with honors, University of California, Irvine, 2019

Presentations (selected)

“They Danced Out of Court: Staging Orientalism and Policing the Feminine Body in 1890s San Francisco.” UCI History Graduate Student Association Annual Conference. Irvine, CA. April 3, 2026.

“Hidden Treasures: CHSSC’s Online Exhibits.” Chinese Historical Society of Southern California Monthly Meeting. Los Angeles, CA. June 4, 2025. 

“Tracing CSU Activism Across Time.” CSU Dominguez Hills Gerth Archives & Special Collections. Carson, CA. April 17, 2024.

“CHSSC’s Digital Initiatives: Making Our Records Accessible.” Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Los Angeles, CA. March 3, 2022. 

“Our Fair Ladies: Representations of Filipina Women at the 1904 World’s Fair.” UCI Undergraduate History Conference. Irvine, CA. May 18, 2019.