Ligia Aldana

Ligia Aldana is an Associate Professor with joint appointments in Languages, Literatures & Cultures and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at SUNY New Paltz. She specializes in Afro-Latin American cultural expressions with regional focus on Colombia and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

Her research examines music as cultural identity articulation, particularly Champeta music's role in Afro-Colombian political organization. Current projects analyze testimonios by displaced Afrodescendant women in Colombia's Caribbean coast, exploring narratives of resistance and identity.

Teaching interests include Afro-Latin@ literatures, Caribbean cultural studies, race/ethnicity in literature and film, and diaspora studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Romance Studies (Spanish) from University of Miami and B.A. in Comparative Literature from Smith College.