My work affirms that U.S. women of color have always seen themselves as theorists on a global scale, even if they have not been recognized as such.”
Paulina Jones-Torregrosa (she/her)
PhD Candidate in the Department of English
Paulina Jones-Torregrosa is a PhD candidate in the Department of English in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and is also pursuing a certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSS). She focuses on Latinx and African American writing from the 20th century. Paulina is interested in transnational/hemispheric literature, critical race theory, and women of color feminism. She was awarded a Presidential Fellowship in 2023.
How would you describe your research and/or work to a non-academic audience?
I study how U.S. Black, Latina, and Asian American feminist writers protested U.S. interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 1970s and 1980s. My work affirms that U.S. women of color have always seen themselves as theorists on a global scale, even if they have not been recognized as such.
Tell us what inspired your research and/or work.
It has taken me five years to find myself in my research, but the writers I study draw upon ways of knowing that deeply resonate with me. My mother left Chile as a direct result of the Pinochet dictatorship, a government that the United States has supported ever since it overthrew democratically elected president Salvador Allende in 1973. Thanks to my family's experiences, I oppose U.S. interventions abroad because I understand how these incursions can alter the course of citizens' lives. The writers in my dissertation also use their family histories and lived experiences as the basis for their politics, just as I have.
Whom do you admire in your field and otherwise, and why?
Dr. Jennifer C. Nash is a feminist scholar who believes that theoretical writing can be both beautiful and accessible. Her research serves to highlight Black women's everyday labor and theorizing, and she treats every graduate student she meets as a potential colleague. I admire her warmth, work ethic, and generosity in portraying Black feminism as a shared practice of caretaking.
How do you unwind after a long day?
I like to cook, watch TV, or catch up with some friends over cocktails at our favorite local bar.
What books are on your bedside table?
I always have a copy of a Mary Oliver book on my nightstand. I find her work quite soothing for sleepless nights. I also keep whatever I'm reading at the moment on hand. Currently, it's Rebecca Makkai's new mystery novel, I Have Some Questions for You. I can't put it down!
Tell us about a current achievement or something you're working on that excites you.
Dr. Cinnamon Williams (PhD in Black Studies, 2023) and I are presenting our research on the 1970s feminist newspaper Triple Jeopardy at the National Women's Studies Association conference in October. We both have written about how Triple Jeopardy developed an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist feminist politic that centered Black and brown women's lived experiences. We have invited one of the authors of Triple Jeopardy, Dr. Patricia Romney, to the conference to share her reflections on writing and publishing this newspaper. I'm thrilled to collaborate with other groundbreaking scholars and to learn from one of the writers who makes my research possible.
What are you most proud of in your career to date?
I'm so proud to join the Society of Fellows as a Presidential Fellow this year. I'm inspired by the other fellows who are also committed to producing rigorous yet accessible public scholarship. I'm looking forward to developing my project with this cohort, and I know my writing and thinking will only become more clear as a result of their input.
Published: August 15, 2023
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