Debra Castillo

Debra Castillo is the Emerson Hinchliff Professor of Hispanic Studies and Professor of Comparative Literature at Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, where she also serves as Faculty Director of the Einaudi Center's Migration Studies Minor. A past president of the Latin American Studies Association, she specializes in contemporary Latin American and U.S. Latino/a/x narrative, gender studies, and cultural theory.

Her research explores:

• Border cultures and transnational identities
• Feminist literary criticism
• Community-engaged scholarship
• Performance studies and theater production
• Migration narratives and diaspora studies

Professor Castillo founded and advises Teatrotaller, a community-university theater troupe producing Spanish-language and Spanglish performances since 1993. The ensemble has toured internationally with original works addressing migration and borders, including the multimedia project Aguakinesis exploring water relationships and the recent production Diamantina Rosa. She co-directs the Publicly Engaged Scholars book series at Cornell Press and has supervised over 60 doctoral committees.