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Alfredo Gaona

Interdisciplinary Humanities graduate student Alfredo Gaona
Professional Title: 
Graduate Advisor: Ignacio Lopez-Calvo
Email: 
Agaona6@ucmerced.edu
Education: 
  • Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Humanities, In progress — U.C Merced
  • M.A. English, 2013 — California State University, Stanislaus
  • B.A. Cinema, 2005 — San Francisco State University
Research Interests: 

Alfredo Gaona is following two related lines of inquiry. In the first, he is researching transnational diasporic communities across the western pacific region and Latin America. Inspired by the Transnational Americas Studies (TAS) focus at UC Merced, Alfredo’s research similarly draws upon the “connections between migration, identity, culture and economy with a focus on the links that radiate from…the Americas, and their Pacific and Atlantic connections.” Like TAS, Alfredo explores the “intersections of race, gender, class, space and cultural production as they dovetail with contests over belonging, boundaries, nations, polities, and citizenship.” In the second line of inquiry, Alfredo is exploring: Schema theory and epistemology Oral histories and collective memory Folklore, rurality, and worldview Individual and collective perceptions of identity Otherness and perception of the other Periphery, Hybridity and Third Space Identity construction

Bio: 
Alfredo Gaona is a Ph.D student in the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program at UC Merced. He comes to the program with a prior background in international education. In 2015, he was awarded an English Language Fellowship to Indonesia where he gained valuable project management and teacher training experience. As a visiting lecturer, Alfredo worked as a teacher trainer and English lecturer for preservice English teachers at Tanjungpura University. In 2019, he served as an alumni ambassador for the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs program and presented at pre-departure orientations and regional conferences. In 2020, he was awarded a Henry Luce Grant for community engaged scholarship to work with indigenous tribes In California (Baskets2Bytes). In 2021, Alfredo has received a Fulbright award for Romania.
Research Areas: 
Community Engaged Scholarship
Disciplines: 
Anthropology
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES)
History