Distributaries

Broadly, my research looks at the psycho-social sequela of colonial and state violence, namely the U.S.- backed civil war in El Salvador (1980-1992). The war left irreparable wounds among the survivors. War trauma travels intergenerationally and it is felt and expressed differently among the children of the survivors. I used the ERI/PS2 fellowship, to (1)...

The ERI/PS2 fellowship allowed me to further develop my dissertation proposal, gain clarity about my research methods rationale and to start preparations for fieldwork. This summer, I engaged in a variety of activities in the U.S., I presented my project at the Society for Qualitative Research in Psychology conference (SQIP), and consulted with a Digital...

The past few months I’ve spent my time having what I’ve been calling a “hot girl dissertation summer” (shout out to Megan Thee Stallion). Mainly, I’ve been focusing on writing and data collection. My dissertation is a qualitative study investigating Black women’s experiences with fertility treatments. It’s been an interesting summer working on a dissertation...

This summer, as a ERI/PS2 Summer Fellow, I collaborated with students to analyze the oral histories we collected. We organized the narratives into themes like immigration, matriarchal figures, and community efforts. We’ve started depositing the oral histories, transcripts, and photos into a public digital archive. Our goal is to make this accessible and collaborative for...

“How can ‘queer housing’ expand the housing struggle for everyone?” “Came out to my landlord as trans (new name, email, ID). He made no fuss, as he raised rent by $150.” “I’m on rent strike.” “Found gay roommates and started organizing our building.” Post-it notes with queer and trans housing stories. These are some of...

It’s easy to romanticize: two quiet weeks perusing the archives with the sunset over the canals to light my walks home. While the reality wasn’t always quite so romantic—hours of mindlessly propping up my phone to take document photos—Amsterdam was nevertheless a wonderful, memorable experience supported by an ERI/ PS2 summer fellowship. Hard to believe...

“May our banner be unfurled over North America,And its renown fill the West and the East.To promote the National EssenceAnd be at the vanguard overseas…” These prayers were recited in front of a small red-and-gold wooden shrine dedicated to the patron saints of Cantonese opera, located backstage at the headquarters of the Chinese Musical and...

My summer as an ERI/PS2 fellow began with a chaotic accident and ended up being one of the most generative research experiences of my life. I went to London to spend three weeks at the George Padmore Institute with Robert Robinson, with whom I am working on a project about the educational and cultural dimensions...