Research Associates

Francisco is currently studying for a Master's degree in Development Studies. His research project will focus on authoritarianism and attacks on press freedom in Mexico. He holds a Master's degree in Comparative Public Policy from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO-Mexico) and two Bachelor's degrees, one in Law and the other in Economics, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). At that University, he taught Public Finance, Socioeconomic Problems of Mexico, and Growth and Development Economics. He was also a full-time Associate Researcher at the UNAM's Institute for Economic Research. He has authored and co-authored books, chapters, and articles on public finance, transparency, accountability, combating corruption, and culture related to economic underdevelopment.

Country(ies) or region(s) of specialization: Latin America, Mexico.

Keywords: Culture and underdevelopment, authoritarianism, corruption, transparency, accountability

Leonardo Martins Cavalcanti Furtado is a Master's student in Geography at York University. He holds a bachelor in International Relations as well as a specialization in Human and Economic Geography. Prior to  coming to Canada, he was an English teacher for 5 years in his homecountry - Brazil.

His research has three aims. First, to explore the social, political and economic geographical conditions that enable and perpetuate the migration of LGBTQ people from Brazil to Canada. Second, to critique the heteronormative power dynamics at play between those countries throughout the immigration process. Finally, to localize and explore queer Brazilian place-making as well as community building and integration in Canadian cities.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Brazil

Keywords: Migration, LGBTQ

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Politics at York University. I am interested in Social Reproduction Theory, Marxist Feminism, Marxist Dependency Theory, Imperialism, and Feminist movements in Latin America. My research examines the International Women’s Strike in Argentina and in Brazil, and the implications for a social reproduction feminist politics in Latin America.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Argentina, Brazil, Latin America

Keywords: Social Reproduction Theory, Marxism, Feminist movements, Imperialism

I am a journalist and historian, Master of History of Art, Master of History of Science, and a Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) at the Department of History of York University. My dissertation is about an unpublished archive at the Royal Society of London about an expedition to Brazil (1967-1969). The research is about a British expedition to Brazil during the military dictatorship and how the Cold War affected science practices and politics (you can read the article I published at LychnosHistory of Science Swedish Journal here: https://tidskriftenlychnos.se/article/view/21562). I am also studying the research carried by the expedition’s medical officers in the indigenous people of Xingu National Park, earning the Paavo and Aino Lukkari Human Rights Fellowship. I am currently the co-chair of the CERLAC Student Caucus. I was a Research Associate and Visiting Scholar at Ryerson University with articles published about media and the health of African Canadian populations.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization:Brazil, United Kingdom, United States

Keywords: Mato Grosso Expedition, history of science, Cold War, postcolonialism, indigenous people, expeditions, The Royal Society, The Royal Geographical Society

Sean K Isaacs is a PhD student in the Department of Politics at York University. Their research interests are Marxism, financialization, social reproduction theory, urban political economy, and social movements. They are examining the effects of financialization on the urban environment in Brazil and how this has transformed everyday working-class subjectivity, specifically amongst informal and social reproductive workers.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Brazil

Keywords: Urbanization, social movements, housing, financialization, Marxism, social reproduction

Luisa Isidro is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology. Her proposed ethnographic
research aims to analyze the alternative forms of security developed by women who undertake
these duties in the face of the experiences of death, abuse, and displacement that they and their
families and communities have suffered during both the armed conflict and the post-agreement
era. Drawing on research on feminist geopolitics and grassroots practices that exercise protection
for people on the ground (or alter-geopolitics), she aims to explore how Indigenous women's
relationships with land provide alternative security during territorial disputes, and create
connections within, through, and beyond the state to ensure dignity, justice, and buen vivir.

Likewise, this research aims to examine how these women meet, seek, generate, and implement
non-violent collective resistance to address everyday violence while weaving connections with
similar women’s organizations. Her research puts diversity of perspectives, gender, race, language,
Indigenous knowledge, and regional representation at the heart of the Social Sciences by analyzing
concepts that have been primarily men-driven and west-led like ‘security’ and ‘violence’ and
introducing new concepts such as nonviolent practices and solidarity.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Colombia, Latin America

Keywords: Feminist Geopolitics, Non-violence practices, Alter-geopolitics, Buen Vivir,
Indigenous Women, Human Security, Violence and Gender-Based Violence, Militarization,
Solidarity and Civil Resistance

Trinity graduated with distinction from OCAD University, earning a BDes (Hons) in Advertising. While at OCAD, Trinity was interested in Marketing and UX design. Her passion was driven by technology's potential to improve design accessibility and user experience. 

Trinity's current research delves into exploring various frameworks aimed at strengthening the intergenerational transfer of Indigenous Guatemalan textile designs and techniques.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Guatemala 

Keywords: Design, Technology,  Culture, Documentation, Cultural preservation, Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer.