teacher, scholar, photographer
Hello/Hola,
I am a teacher-scholar focusing on Latin American visual studies. Specifically, I look at the intersections between photography, literature, and cinema, with attention paid to the porous divisions between nonfiction and fiction. My recent works focus on cinematic technique and evolving documentary practices within the context of recent Mexican history. I hold a BA from New York University and a PhD from the Graduate Center, CUNY. I have worked in a variety of teaching and research positions at The Graduate Center, CUNY, Hunter College, and Penn State University.
In addition to my academic work, I am a photographer. My photography practice is informed by the movement, colors, and moods of nature. When photographing people, I am drawn to the events, memories, and bonds that bring us together.
My interests in researching, archiving, and the afterlives of objects and images have led to a growing analog camera and typewriter collection. You can see my vintage collection here.
Recent Research
The Mexican Documentary in the 2020s: 499 (Reyes 2020) and Una película de policías (Ruizpalacios 2021)
This article considers how traditional notions of documentary voice, authority, and interview styles are inverted in Rodrigo Reyes’ and Alonso Ruizpalacios’ recent films, which explore colonial consequences through the modern-day arrival of an anachronistic conquistador and the lives and work of police officers in Mexico City, respectively. Considering their shared performative qualities, I examine how the documentary techniques are used to highlight the connections between the longstanding historical traumas of Mexico’s history and modern conflicts. Aesthetically, both films rely on the theatrical in their representation of quotidian life. In 499, a conquistador washes ashore in Veracruz and then traverses Mexico through rural and urban communities, eventually migrating to New York City. On a much smaller scale, Una película de policías follows two actors portraying police officers in their personal lives and as they respond to crises within Mexico City. Beginning with a brief history of documentary in Mexico, I trace the significance of themes like justice, impunity, and violence through my analysis of 499 and Una película de policías.
“From Satélite to the World Screen: Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Museo (2018)”
This article examines Alonso Ruizpalacios’ 2018 film Museo with a principal focus on place. It looks at the architectural of history of protagonist Juan’s hometown, Ciudad Satélite, and the history of Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology. What is the historical significance of Ciudad Satélite, which was designed by famed architect Mario Pani? What motivates Juan’s journey across Mexico? In answering these questions, it seeks to address how Museo illustrates Mexican national identity and Juan’s sense of mexicanidad. This study also considers how Museo depicts indigenous culture, spaces, and language in relation to Juan’s crime. The final portion of this article looks at Museo’s commercial distribution data. Using world cinema and festival theory, I consider how Ruizpalacios’ work illuminates the nuanced presence of Mexican cinema in global festivals.
Recent Courses
Reenactment, Revolution, and Representation in Latin America
Nicaragua: June 1978-July 1979 by Susan Meiselas
This course offers a multidisciplinary, multimedia approach that examines incidents of social upheaval that have taken place in Latin America throughout the last century. Using literature, photography, and cinema, it traces how state violence, natural disasters, and political instability have been represented in the Americas, while questioning the critical and geopolitical implications of these representations in the space that we consider to be “Latin America.”
Rather than be all-encompassing, this course examines specific incidents of turmoil and change and combines a historical outlook with analyses of how these events have been represented. In doing so, it serves as a survey course for modern Latin American culture and as an introduction to media studies, as each week’s primary texts is supplemented with secondary sources on media.
