Sergio González Varela

Sergio González Varela is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of London (2009), he previously served as Associate Professor at Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Mexico. His extensive ethnographic fieldwork spans Brazil, Mexico, and the U.K., with fifteen years of specialized research on Afro-Brazilian capoeira.

His research focuses on ritual-martial arts, cultural mobility, and tourism within globalized contexts. As a leading capoeira scholar, he examines how embodied practices navigate cultural preservation amid commodification. His work bridges theoretical anthropology with practical ethnography, emphasizing sensory and performative dimensions of cultural survival.

His publications reveal consistent engagement with Afro-diasporic identity formation and the politics of cultural heritage. The trajectory shows evolution from foundational capoeira studies toward broader critiques of globalization's impact on ritual traditions, with increasing attention to Latin American intellectual traditions.

• Fulbright Visiting Professor scholarship (2016)

He has held visiting appointments at West Chester University (2016-2017), Universidad Iberoamericana (2015), and El Colegio de San Luis (2012), demonstrating significant international scholarly exchange. His editorial work on six coedited volumes highlights collaborative leadership in advancing anthropological discourse.