R. Benedito Ferrão

R. Benedito Ferrão is an Assistant Professor of English and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies at William & Mary, with affiliations in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. His work bridges Afro-Asiatic connections across Portuguese and British post/colonial contexts, focusing on diaspora, transnational fiction, and intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.

Research trends span postcolonial literature, Indian Ocean slavery studies, decolonial queer ecology, and visual culture. His scholarship interrogates Goan identity through Afro-Indian linkages, tropicality, and transoceanic narratives, often engaging diasporic art, architecture, and media.

Notable awards include:

• Fellow, Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence (2020-21)
• Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Research Award (2019-20)
• Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
• Endeavour Postdoctoral Fellow

He has taught at UCLA, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Goa), Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Seoul), and held fellowships at William & Mary and La Trobe University. His curated exhibition Goa/Portugal/Mozambique: The Many Lives of Vamona Navelcar (2017) highlights his interdisciplinary engagement with diasporic and decolonial art.