Spanish & Latin American Studies

Thesis Topic: Making Foreign: Legal Identity, Social Policy and the Contours of Belonging in the Contemporary Dominican Republic

Supervisor: Dr Trevor Stack (Hispanic Studies), Dr Nadia Kiwan (French)

Educational background (BA, MA, etc.): BA Hons in Modern Language Studies (French, German, Portuguese & Spanish), University of Nottingham 

Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Development, United Nations Development Programme

MA in Caribbean and Latin American Studies, Institute for the Study of the Americas, School of Advanced Study, University of London (now UCL Institute of the Americas)

What are your research interests/what are you currently working on? My interdisciplinary study examines questions of race, national identity and belonging in the Americas. I highlight the current gap in social policy that largely overlooks the possible alienating effects of social inclusion measures, particularly in countries that discriminate against migrant-descended populations. The project, for example, is the first to identify a connection between the universal provision of legal identity in the Dominican Republic with arbitrary measures to restrict access to citizenship paperwork from populations of Haitian descent. I support concerns in scholarship regarding the dangers of identity management, noting that as administrative systems improve, new insecurities and uncertainties can develop (Seltzer & Anderson, 2001; Bigo, 2006; Lyon, 2009). The project therefore serves as a warning about the potential use of social policy architectures for authoritarian practices, offering an important critique of global policy measures to document populations in the run-up to the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

What do you do outside of academia (hobbies, personal interests, etc.)?

I am the Programmes Coordinator of the Haiti Support Group, a UK-based advocacy organisation.

Why did you choose to study in Aberdeen?

I chose to study at Aberdeen because I was fortunate to receive funding for my doctoral studies. Thus far, I have had support from the Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL) including full fee waiver and annual maintenance. I was also awarded the Isabella Middleton Scholarship Fund by the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture.

What is your favourite part of studying and living in Aberdeen?

My favourite part of Aberdeen is definitely the campus. It was founded in 1495, three years after Columbus arrived in the Caribbean. To know Old Aberdeen has been around for such a long time is really incredible.