Who we are

  • A woman with wavy blonde hair smiling in front of an academic poster presentation.

    Director

    Tina Hilgers, Ph.D.

    Dr. Tina Hilgers is Associate Professor of Political Science at Concordia University. Her research is in the field of comparative politics at the intersection of sociology, anthropology and geography.

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  • A man with glasses and a beard in front of a window with trees outside.

    Researcher

    Jean François Mayer, Ph.D.

    Dr. Jean François Mayer is Associate Professor of Political Science at Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). His research deals with social movements, labour politics, and democratic processes in Latin America, with a particular emphasis on Brazil and Mexico.

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  • Black and white portrait of a man with a beard and mustache, wearing a long-sleeve button-up shirt with arms crossed, looking slightly to the side.

    Researcher

    Kregg Hetherington, Ph.D.

    Dr. Kregg Hetherington is the Concordia University Research Chair in Environmental Ethnography. His research specializes in experimental ethnographic practices and the politics of environment, infrastructure and the bureaucratic state.

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  • Portrait of a woman with short dark hair and glasses, outdoors among autumn leaves.

    Researcher

    Nora Jaffary, Ph.D.

    Dr. Nora Jaffary’s research focuses on the social and gendered history of colonial and nineteenth-century Mexico. Her book, Reproduction and Its Discontents in Mexico: Childbirth and Contraception, 1750-1905, which examines the persistence of pre-Columbian midwifery, monstrous births, infanticide, abortion and the emergence of Mexican obstetrics, was published in the fall of 2016 with UNC-Chapel Hill Press.

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  • A man with glasses standing outdoors with a city and mountain landscape in the background.

    Researcher

    James Freeman, Ph.D.

    Dr. James Freeman is an Assistant Professor (LTA) in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment. His research focuses on popular culture, public space and political economy in urban Latin America, particularly Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Managua, Nicaragua. For the last several years Dr. Freeman’s research has focused on the consequences of mega-events such as the World Cup and the Olympics for the urban poor in Rio de Janeiro, with a particular emphasis on the Police Pacification Unit program (UPP).

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  • A man with dark hair, glasses, and a goatee, wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt with white floral patterns, sitting at a desk with papers, resting his chin on his hand.

    Researcher

    Otacílio de Oliveira, Ph.D.

    Otacilio de Oliveira Jr holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais / Brazil. His PhD research investigated the relationships between cultural production, literary writing, and activism in the poor suburbs of large Brazilian cities. In his master's degree, he researched the process of migration of young peasants to Brazilian metropolises.

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  • Researcher

    Marina Fernandes

    PhD in Political Science from the University of Brasília and in Sociology from Université de Montréal, she is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Concordia University, conducting a comparative study on homelessness and collective action in Montréal and Rio de Janeiro.
    Her research focuses on rural and urban social movements, particularly their relationships with the state, political parties, marginalized groups’ political participation, activism, and contemporary democracy.

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Students

  • João Roque

    Student

    João Roque

    Political Science - Concordia University

    How creative workers are resisting the dominance of digital cultural production platforms.

  • A young man with dark, curly hair smiling outdoors against a light gray fence and green trees.

    Student

    Liam Dunbar

    Liam Dunbar is a Ph.D candidate in Political Science at Concordia University, having entered the program in 2018. He holds a Baccalaureate in International Development and Globalization, as well as a Masters in Globalization and International Development, from the University of Ottawa. His Master’s Thesis explored the role of the Salvadoran diaspora in Canada in the Salvadoran mining justice movement. For his Ph.D.

  • Young woman smiling with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a light-colored blazer over a beige turtleneck, black pants, and a necklace, standing against an orange background.

    Student

    Luisa Seidl

    Luisa Seidl holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science with a double minor in Human Rights and French Language from Concordia University, where she will pursue her Master's in Political Science. Under the Center for Research on Resistance, Informality and Violence (CERIV), her research focuses on domestic workers in Brazil and their everyday forms of resistance to violence. She has participated in several academic panels surrounding inequality and discrimination in Latin American countries, focusing on LGBTQ+ rights and culture.

  • A young man with dark curly hair, a beard, and a mustache, wearing a beige blazer and a white striped shirt, standing in a kitchen with white cabinets and appliances in the background.

    Student

    Antoine Kayvan Amyot-Ariya

    Political Science and Economics - Concordia University

    B.A. in Political Science with an interest in urban conflict in Haiti.

  • A young woman in a blue graduation gown holding a bouquet of red roses, smiling, with a blue background.

    Student

    Eden Martin

    Political Science and Urban Studies - Concordia University.

  • A young man stands in front of lush green trees with Mount Fuji and a volcanic eruption in the background.

    Student

    Oscar Garcia

    Political Science - Concordia University

    Governance models in Latin America and ethnic relations in socially fragmented contexts, such as in Brazil, Guatemala, Bolivia, etc.

  • A young woman with short dark hair taking a selfie in a bathroom. She is wearing a gray cardigan over a black top and has ear piercings with multiple earrings.

    Student

    Valeria Venegas

    Concordia University

    Security in latin American countries and Canada as well as global peace building.

  • A smiling woman with dark hair wearing a red sleeveless top standing in front of a large window with a cityscape of tall buildings outside.

    Student

    Clara Maia

    She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Management and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil, with a visiting research period at Concordia University, Canada. She holds an M.A. focused on sexual and reproductive rights, with particular attention to the struggle for abortion legalization in Brazil. Her doctoral dissertation examines neoconservatism and anti-gender movements in Brazil.

Former members

  • Woman with long brown hair sitting in a train, resting her head on her hand, looking at the camera.

    Kathy Meilleur AISK

  • A young woman with long, wavy blonde hair and glasses, wearing a blue and white striped button-up shirt and a necklace, smiling in front of a plain wall.

    Audrey-Anne Doyle

    Program Officer at Canadian Heritage

  • A young woman with long dark hair standing outdoors in front of a green plant.

    Annele Bernal

    Mexican Government

  • A smiling man with dark hair and glasses, wearing a striped collared shirt, standing outdoors with trees and a building in the background.

    Gustavo Henrique Andrade

    BA

  • A smiling man with dark hair, a mustache and beard, wearing a striped collared shirt and a dark jacket, standing in front of a plain light-colored wall.

    Natanael J. Vargas

    MA

  • Portrait of a young man with brown hair and a beard, wearing a green collared shirt and blue sweater, standing outdoors with leaves and a building background.

    Carlos Zapata

    University of Ottawa

  • A young woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing a black lace top, indoors against a beige wall.

    Cecilia Eraso

    BA

  • A young woman with medium-length dark hair and bangs, smiling at the camera with sunlight on her face, in front of green plants.

    Laura Sofía Rivera Sánchez

    University of Toronto

  • A smiling man with glasses and a beard stands outdoors in a garden area with lush green plants and trees, behind him is a brick building and a blue sign.

    Henrique Araújo Araugusuku

    University of São Paulo

  • A young woman with curly brown hair in a high ponytail, wearing a black spaghetti strap top and large circular earrings, smiling at the camera.

    Maria Fernanda Aguilar Lara

    University of São Paulo