Aimee Villarreal

Aimee Villarreal is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Texas State University. Her work focuses on cultural anthropology, Mexican American Studies, and Native American Studies, emphasizing social movements in the US-Mexico borderlands, immigration, religion, and Chicanx spiritual politics. She holds a PhD from UC Santa Cruz (2014) and prior degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder, UT San Antonio, and New Mexico State University. Her interdisciplinary research integrates homeplace ethnography with applied projects, particularly documenting Indigenous sanctuary practices and co-producing the award-winning animated documentary Frontera! Revolt and Rebellion on Río Grande. Current projects include Unsettled Refuge and a forthcoming book on Sanctuaryscapes in the New Mexico Borderlands.

Education

• PhD, Cultural Anthropology, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2014
• MA, Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2007
• MA, Bicultural/Bilingual Studies, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2001
• BA, Psychology and Spanish, New Mexico State University, 1997

Research Interests

Her research explores rebeldía (resistance) for social justice in borderlands contexts, combining ethnography with creative methods like documentary animation. Key themes include:

• Immigration and asylum policies
• Religion and transnational networks
• Indigenous sanctuary practices
• Chicanx spiritual performance
• Comparative ethnic studies

Publications & Projects

Recent work includes articles on homeplace ethnography (Ethnographic Refusals, 2022), borderlands sanctuaryscapes (Radical History Review, 2019), and decolonial animation (Anthropology News, 2017). Her projects often involve transnational collaborations, such as the Canada-U.S. Unsettled Refuge initiative documenting Indigenous humanitarianism.

Awards

• Documentary film Frontera! Revolt and Rebellion on Río Grande (2014) recognized as award-winning animation

Advising & Collaboration

Accepting M.A./Ph.D. students in Latinx anthropology or borderlands studies (Fall 2023). Collaborates with community stakeholders on applied projects, including Somos Un Pueblo Unido's anti-profiling reports and the Pueblo Revolt documentary.