Liana Beatrice Valerio

Liana Beatrice Valerio is a Teaching Fellow in the Department of History within the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Warwick. She previously served as a Lecturer in Histories of the Global South at De Montfort University and as a Teaching Fellow in Latin American History at Warwick. Her academic career is deeply rooted in Warwick, where she also completed her PhD and undergraduate degree.

• BA in History, Literature, and Cultures of the Americas, University of Warwick (2009–2012)
• MSt in U.S. History, St Antony's College, University of Oxford (2014–2015)
• PhD in History, University of Warwick (2015–2019)

Her research centers on the emotional architecture of slavery in the Atlantic world, particularly how white enslavers in South Carolina and Cuba used emotional performance—especially confidence and the suppression of fear—to maintain racial control and economic legitimacy. She theorizes that these emotions were not private feelings but public performances tied to masculinity and white supremacy.

Her recent publications, including articles in Slavery & Abolition and Atlantic Studies, explore the strategic use of emotion among enslavers, and her forthcoming book, Violent White Emotion, expands on this theme. The articles collectively emphasize the performative, political, and psychological dimensions of slaveholding, situating emotional expression as central to the maintenance of slavery.

She has reviewed significant works on slavery and race, contributing to scholarly discourse in New West Indian Guide, Slavery and Abolition, and Journal of American Studies.

As an educator, she directs Warwick’s core module Making of the Modern World and teaches on topics ranging from U.S. history to Latin America and global organized crime. She is also involved in the Academic Conduct Panel, reflecting her commitment to academic integrity.

There is no mention of formal advisees or research grants in the provided material. She is actively engaged in research and teaching with no indication of part-time status or retirement.