Henrique Yagui Takahashi was born in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil. Prior to joining the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, he worked as teacher of Sociology, Philosophy, and History for many years in Brazil. 

He was a researcher of NaMargem – Núcleo de Estudos Urbanos (UFSCar) in São Carlos and Centro de Estudos da Metrópole (CEM/CEBRAP) in São Paulo from 2010 to 2014. He served as an Assistant Editor of Revista Áskesis (2012-2014). He conducted ethnographical fieldwork in many cities in Brazil: Sapopemba/CEDECA and Cracolândia (São Paulo), Cidade de Deus and Morro da Santa Marta (Rio de Janeiro), and Fundação CASA (Araraquara). 

He worked with the most important Brazilian rap group called Racionais MC’s, which resulted in a thesis called "Evangelho Segundo Racionais MC’s" (UFSCar, 2014). His research interests include Latin American culture, politics, economics and socio-historical formations; specifically, he has developed project on Brazilian and Cuban rap narratives and aesthetics.

BOOK CHAPTER:
- "A mixagem de significações dos Racionais MC's" In: Giordano Bertelli; Gabriel Feltran (Org,) Vozes à margem: periferias, estética e política. São Carlos: EdUFSCar, 2017