Ariela Parisi successfully defended her dissertation on November 15, passing without revisions. Her dissertation, advised by Dr. Marcy Schwartz, explores the role of collective memory in imagining communal futures. It examines contemporary Latin American cultural expressions—performances, films, and novels—that engage in what Parisi terms retro-speculation. These works revisit the past to envision emancipatory futures while challenging the notion of time as linear and its association with neoliberal progress. Her research emphasizes the importance of addressing environmental sustainability and protecting marginalized communities' rights in future-building practices.
The project draws on a diverse corpus from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala, highlighting connections between dictatorial neoliberal histories and alternative visions of the future. Parisi's work expands the fields of Latin American Memory Studies and Dictatorship Studies by linking them with speculative fiction, an essential perspective in our current era of rising far-right movements and widespread uncertainty. Parisi stated that her next step is transforming her dissertation into a book manuscript.
In addition to defending her dissertation, Parisi began a new position as Assistant Professor of Spanish at Alfred University. Before attaining this position, she was heavily involved with the Center of Latin American studied. She organized several events with CLAS sponsorship, including the inaugural Latin American Film Festival at Rutgers, now in its third edition. Additionally, with a CLAS research award, Parisi attended Middlebury College to strengthen her Portuguese, which she says has been a pivotal step in advancing her career. Thanks to support from CLAS and the Brazilian Studies Group led by Dr. Daniel Da Silva, she also published the following article:
Parisi, A. (2023). Cuerpos negros y cuerpos celestes: afrofuturismo queer y nuevas espacialidades en ’Negrum3’ de Diego Paulino. Kamchatka. Revista De análisis Cultural, (22), 359–378. https://doi.org/10.7203/KAM.22.24235.
Once again, congratulations to Ariela Parisi on her successful dissertation defense and new position!