Andrea Leiva Espitia

Andrea Leiva Espitia serves as a full-time Professor at Universidad Santo Tomás in Bogotá, where she is affiliated with the School of Sociology and coordinates the environmental sociology seedbed (a student research initiative). She concurrently holds a lecturing position at Universidad del Rosario, teaching "Ethnic and Racial Relations" among other courses. Her institutional affiliations include founding membership in the Center for Afro-descendant Studies (CEA-PUJ) at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana since 2014, alongside active participation in the Afro-descendant Studies Group (GEA) at Universidad Nacional de Colombia and the Space and Territory Studies Group (UMBRA) at Universidad de los Andes.

Her academic credentials comprise a Doctorate and Master in Anthropology from École Pratique des Hautes Études de Paris (2008-2016) and an Anthropology degree with a Master in Social Anthropology from Universidad de los Andes (1999-2005). The doctoral thesis "Yo me la paso de isla en isla: formas de habitar e interacciones sociales en el Islote, Caribe colombiano" (2016) anchors her fieldwork in Colombian Caribbean communities.

Research interests span Afro-Caribbean and insular populations, Afro-Colombian/Raizal social movements, and territorial dynamics of Black communities, emphasizing spatial practices and identity reclamation. Her interdisciplinary methodology integrates anthropological fieldwork with sociological analysis of collective action and ethnic spatiality, particularly in coastal and island contexts.

Recent publications reveal consistent focus on territorial appropriation, spatial identity, and self-determination among Raizal communities, demonstrating methodological rigor through ethnographic approaches. These works establish connections between geography, ethnic politics, and social movement theory while highlighting Caribbean-specific dynamics of Afro-descendant populations.

She actively contributes to research collectives including CEA-PUJ, GEA, and UMBRA, with her environmental sociology seedbed at Universidad Santo Tomás fostering student engagement in community-based territorial studies.