Dr. Carmen Lugo-Lugo
Biography
Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo was born and raised in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. She spent
her childhood among loving relatives and adoring parents, mostly at the beach.
Carmen loves the sound of the (Atlantic) ocean and gets mesmerized by the sound
of rustling trees against the wind. These days she spends her free time (beautiful
oxymoron) with her partner Mary, and their four kitties: Kam, Zack, Thea, and
Fabiola.
On a more professional note, Carmen obtained her B.A. in sociology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus. Her M.A. is in sociology from Washington State University, and her Ph.D. is in American Studies with a focus on Latina(o) Studies and Women's Studies, also from Washington State University. Her doctoral dissertation titled "La página, el cuerpo y la historia:" Feminism and the Literary Works of Contemporary Women Writers in the Third World Commonwealth of Puerto Rico explores the connections between women's literature in Puerto Rico, the colonial status of the island, and the women's movement.
Research Interests
Carmen's areas of research interest include (but are not limited to) Puerto Rican Studies, Latina Feminism in the US, feminist theory, and issues of colonialism/imperialism, race and popular culture, race relations and economic inequality.
Teaching Interests
Carmen uses literature, history, sociology, political sciences, popular culture, and a little bit of luck to teach about issues of race and structural inequalities. On a broad level, she teaches about the relationship between social markers and identities (such as gender, race, class, sexuality, etc.), privilege, power, and the resulting unequal distribution of resources. She is planning on developing a course on children's popular culture and issues of race.
