Karma Frierson

Karma Frierson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Black Studies at the University of Rochester. Her research focuses on Blackness in identity formation, place-making, and cultural practices in Mexico, particularly in Veracruz. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago.

**Education**:

• Doctoral degree in Anthropology, University of Chicago

**Research Focus**:
Explores Afro-Latin American identities, cultural politics of leisure, and processes of identification. Her first book examines how Afro-Caribbean heritage is reinterpreted in Veracruz despite not leading to self-identification as Black/Afro-Mexican. Her current project investigates African-American expatriates' experiences in Mexico as a refuge from racial tensions.

**Awards & Grants**:

• ACLS/Marwan M. and Ute Kraidy Fellowship
• COMEXUS Fulbright-García Robles Scholarship
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• Tinker Field Research Grant
• SSRC-Mellon Mays Fellowship

**Advising & Future Work**: While no advisees are listed, her ongoing project bridges Afro-Mexican activism and African-American expatriate communities. Her research is supported by interdisciplinary grants emphasizing Latin American and Caribbean studies.