Research

My scholarly research agenda brings together theories and methodologies from the fields of language and literacy, Critical Indigenous studies, Latinx studies, and critical education to understand how language practices and Indigenous pedagogy shape identity, community, and learning in multilingual, transborder communities. I situate my work within a broader movement to uplift Indigenous sovereignty and challenge colonial research methods, particularly as they relate to Indigenous communities. The role of language within the organized effort toward sovereignty and well-being is not only a central component of my research, but it is also crucial to my praxis as a researcher and knowledge producer. 

My current research highlights Maya Mam women’s role in supporting community well-being through language and cultural reclamation practices in their ancestral communities in Western Guatemala and the diaspora. My dissertation, Reclaiming Mam Language and Culture: Pedagogies and Literacies of Women’s Activism in Guatemala, México, and the United States, is a multi-sited ethnographic and collaborative engagement that draws on various Indigenous and anticolonial methodologies. I co-theorize Maya Mam women’s experiences as leaders in language and cultural activism, which takes place in community organizations, digital media, and grassroots education spaces alongside Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies. My study uplifts how Maya Mam women draw on their multilingual, multiliteracy, and multimodal repertoires to cultivate communal well-being by amplifying Indigenous women’s voices and fostering new political identities and coalitions. 

Sites of Engagement and Collaboration

CV [linked here]