Anneleise Azúa

Anneleise Azúa serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of American Studies, specializing in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cultural history, anthropology, and environmental studies with focus on transnational connections between the US Southwest, Mexico, and Nordic regions.

Education:

• Ph.D. and M.A. in American Studies, University of Texas at Austin
• Bachelor's in Communication and Gender Studies, University of Southern California

Her research examines how human-plant-land relationships co-construct history and culture, particularly through ethnobotanical practices in Texas-Mexico borderlands. She investigates colonial legacies in plant medicine systems and transnational racial formations, while concurrently exploring the globalization of Tex-Mex cuisine through its Nordic adoption. This work bridges environmental history, medical anthropology, and food studies to analyze decolonial knowledge production.

Scientific Awards:

• Fulbright EDUFI fellowship (2021) at University of Helsinki's Department of Cultures
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History fellowship (2018-2020) in Division of Medicine and Science

Azúa's postdoctoral trajectory includes a research fellowship in Comparative Cultural Studies at University of Houston (2021-2023), building on her Smithsonian and Fulbright experiences to develop transnational methodologies. Her teaching includes specialized courses like Latinx and Indigenous Environmentalism, reflecting her commitment to community-engaged scholarship.