Alfonso Roca holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Cultural and Literary Studies from The Ohio State University. His research focuses on evaluating and improving the conceptual tools that scholars use to approach identity, Latinidades, race, and indigeneity. His most recent project examines how films, documentaries, and other visual narratives construct, challenge, or reinforce dominant images of Latinx students, from portrayals of struggle and resilience to depictions of institutional barriers and systemic inequalities.

 

Building on his dissertation, his upcoming book project, titled "Beyond Im/purity: Rethinking Identity in Latin American and Latinx Studies," develops a set of critical tools designed to address issues related to identity, mestizaje, essentialism, and authenticity. This project addresses the key ontological, epistemic, and semantic challenges arising from the various approaches to identity in the US and Latin American: Does Latinidad exist? How do we know Latinidad? Can Latinx (or other terms) represent accurately the population and cultures of interest?