Research Associates

Sebastián Oreamuno is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Dance at York University. With a focus on cueca, the Chilean national dance, his research explores the relationship between movement and memory, or the memory/memorial dimension of the inscription of gesture. This investigation inquires how the repetition of gestures, postures and movements are embodied and remembered, and how these embodied memories might reiterate social norms and ways of moving in the world. Sebastián is also interested in the sites in which these inscriptions of gestures, and the transference of embodied memory, take place because cueca is a social and popular dance engaged for diverse reasons such as celebration, protest, entertainment, performance art, devotion, and to demonstrate patriotism, to name a few. Thus, cueca is performed both in public and private spaces, yet rarely on the proscenium stage.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Chile, Chilean/Latin American Diasporic Communities

Keywords: dance, music, memory, autoethnography, embodiment, affect

Whitney-Ann Patrick is an MA student at York University, currently pursuing a graduate program in Communication and Culture. Her research interests focus on the plight of the Afro-Trinidadian diaspora within Canada, cultural markers of identity and community building. More specifically, she aims to examine how members of diasporic communities who feel "unhomed" utilize digital spaces to form an international connection to home, cultures and traditions. Moreover, how diasporic communities use this medium to define their notion of home, their sense of belonging and what they envision as necessary to be a part of a larger national identity and community. Her research will employ diaspora studies and postcolonial studies and adopt a Black feminist epistemology.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Trinidad & Tobago, Canada.

Keywords: Caribbean, Identity, Diaspora, Postcoloniality.

He is a Research Associate of CERLAC (The Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean – York University), a Graduate Assistant with the Refugee Research Network (a SSHRC funded project of York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies), and adjunct professor in the Community Worker Program at George Brown College. William
 has worked as an international human rights advocate in Mexico, Colombia, Canada and Palestine has held coordination roles with Christian Peacemaker Teams, the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, and CERLAC, and is a member of the oversight committee of Peace Brigades International's Mexico Project.   A former Rotary Peace Fellow, he holds a masters degree in International Relations from Universidad del Salvador (Argentina). Present research considers human rights violations of sexual/gender minorities in contexts marked by organized violence and impunity with a particular focus on Guerrero, Mexico.

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

Keywords: Violence, impunity, LGBT, Queer

Carlos Pérez Márquez holds a BA in Politics and Public Administration, as well as studies in International Trade Negotiations, both from El Colegio de México. He is currently pursuing an MA in Political Science at York University.

In the context of the current regional nearshoring trend, his research focus is on analyzing how different levels of government coordinate to successfully implement investment attraction policies in Mexico. He is also interested in researching political systems, legislative behavior, federalism, political participation and participatory democracy.

Carlos has actively participated in research groups focused on regional studies. He was involved in the Research & Development project "Approximation to the New Paradigms of International Society: Regions, Actors, Structures, and Institutions" at Universidad La Salle - Mexico City, as well as the project "Studies on Latin America and the Caribbean (ESALC)" at El Colegio de México.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Mexico, Argentina and Brazil

Keywords: Participatory democracy, nearshoring, federalism.

My master’s research is focused on public space and understanding how tourism development as neoliberal project in Caribbean SIDS organizes space along highly prized coastal edges.

Countries or Regions of Specialization: The Bahamas, the Caribbean.

Keywords: Public Space Planning, Tourism, Caribbean SIDS, Placemaking, and Neoliberalism

Sharifa Riley is an Arts and Heritage specialist who has been working in the art gallery and museum field for the last eight years in a variety of positions. Beginning her career in developing educational programming for youth, children and families, Sharifa Riley has expanded her experience in the field by taking on Curatorial projects and Collections Management initiatives. Her current exhibition, A Woman’s Work is Never Done, 125 Years of Serving their Communities, is currently exhibited at the Erland Lee (Museum) Home.

Sharifa Riley’s passion for art and history has allowed her to broaden the minds of all those she comes in contact with. She is determined and creative, and is looking forward to many years of helping people discover what their community has to offer.

Sharifa is a graduate from the University of Ottawa (B.A.), Sir Sandford Fleming College (Post Graduate) and is currently working on her M.A. in Art History, with a focus on Trinidadian Women Artists, at York University.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Trinidad and Tobago

Keywords: Art, history, curatorial, women

Rosario del Pilar Rodríguez Romani is a Master's candidate in Geography at the University of York and an activist for body diversity in Lima-Peru, her city of origin. She also has a degree in Anthropology and studies in gender issues.

Her research topic concerns the colonialist background of fatphobic and aesthetically violent discourses and their diffusion and impact among Peruvian women, especially of Andean and Amazonian ethnicities and roots.

Country(ies) or Region(s) of Specialization: Peru, South America, South Andean-Amazonian

Keywords: Colonialism, fat studies, aesthetic violence, digital activism, Latinx feminist theories, culture, decolonial geographies.