About me

I was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and pursued my undergraduate studies in Psychology and Literature there. In 1994, I moved to Madrid, Spain, where I undertook a Ph.D. in Psychoanalytic Foundations and Theory Development (Fundamentos y Desarrollos Psicoanalíticos) at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. My dissertation, titled "The Anxiety of the Reader of Fantastic Literature" (La angustia del sujeto frente a la obra fantástica), earned a Summa Cum Laude. During my time in Europe, I furthered my studies in art and culture at Université Sorbonne-Paris, France, and Richmond College in London, England.

I returned to Bogotá where I taught at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. From Javeriana I went to the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where I completed a Master’s degree and a Ph. D. in the Spanish and Portuguese Department. My Dissertation (Imagined identity in six Colombian novels 2000-2010) linked psychoanalytic problems with literary criticism.

After receiving the Ph.D. from UW Madison, I taught at several Universities including Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Nanyang University in Singapore, and the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Currently, I work in the Integrated Liberal Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

I am a professor of Latin American literature at the University of Wisconsin Madison in the Integrated Liberal Studies (Humanities) program ILS (Integrated Liberal Studies), I am also affiliated with the Latin American, Caribbean, and Peninsular Studies program LACIS (Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies), as well as the Center for Culture, History and Environment CHE (Center for Culture, History, and Environment).

I have taught at universities in Colombia, Chile, Spain, Singapore, and the United States. In the classes, I incorporate art theory and "visual culture" to help establish the connection with visual artistic production, where you can also find questions and answers about urgent contemporary social problems such as migration and poverty. Some titles of my classes are "Magical Realism and Postmodernity", "Sex, Drugs and Literature in Latin America" and "Migration and the Migrant Experience in the Americas".

Academic research and field experiences in the classroom

I regularly integrate my own research and field experiences into my classroom sessions. Currently, I'm working on a book, and I often use it as a reference to discuss relevant topics with my students. The course content I create is directly related to my ongoing research. For instance, I've incorporated basic concepts and highlighted artists from my current book on art as a social suture into modules for my Migration and the Migrant Experience course.

Award

2023 TEACHING AWARD - Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs.

"Gracias por el premio que me han otorgado a la enseñanza, anunciado en el congreso de Latin American Studies Association- LASA 2023- Vancouver- Canada."

The awards are administered by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) and coordinated by both Tulane University’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies and Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies. Generous support is also provided by Stanford University, Florida International University, The Ohio State University, UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Florida, University of New Mexico, University of Texas at Austin, University of Utah, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Community involvement

I have been able to develop poetry and community translation in the WIT (Woman in Translation) project with the University of Wisconsin https://4w.wisc.edu/projects/4w-international-women-collective-translation-project/.
I am also working on a theoretical project on "the ethics of care" https://uwethicsofcare.gws.wisc.edu/ and an initiative on the importance of caring for the community "Care Initiative Community".
From the perspective of my knowledge as a psychologist, I had given talks especially when I worked for the community radio WORT 89.9 FM in a program in Spanish that spoke to the Latino community in the United States, there I was able to give talks about mental health such as depression and self-esteem, I have continued to do so in different networks when they invite me. https://uwethicsofcare.gws.wisc.edu/care-archives/
I became a founder Board Member of MIWISCONSIN, a local nonprofit devoted to news in Spanish for the community. https://miwisconsin.com/. I'm also a regular contributor to programs that address critical community issues such as mental health (see for example: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=905603630101037)
Beyond Wisconsin, I'm involved with a project that brings together the Memory Cloth Circle of Madison with Casa de la Paz in Colombia, that uses weaving for memory building and reconciliation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P0QQdx54Vk)
I also work on a project for Displaced Women in Colombia and a project to help new Latino journalists in Wisconsin who want to start doing journalism in Spanish.
In terms of the profession, I'm a member of LASA and MLA and regularly attend their conferences. I'm also a reviewer for journals such as Hispanic Review, The Cincinnati Review, and Hispania.

Hobbies

I like painting with watercolor and photography.

Academic