University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Student, Anthropology
Trent University, International Development Studies
PhD Candidate and Academic Coordinator Trent University's Trent in Ecuador Program
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Thesis Title: Cosmopolitan Comuneros: Celebrating Indigeneity through the Appropriation of Urbanity in the Quito Basin
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Andrew Orta (Dissertation Director)
Norman Whitten (Director of Field Research) |
About
In August 2009, I returned to Illinios after two-years of field research in urban indigenous communities in the highlands of Ecuador. I successfully completed my dissertation defense on December 13, 2011 and currently work for Trent University as their Academic Coordinator and Lecturer for their Trent in Ecuador International Development Studies Program. I have expanded my research to include community-based development and grassroots projects focused on the re-integration of the aging and disabled back into communal life. My dissertation examines the (re)production and expression of indigeneity through the rituals of daily life and large-scale festival events in the Metropolitan District of Quito. My dissertation demonstrates that urban indigenous peoples draw on urban prestige goods, education, and salaries to reinforce their indigenous identity.
