Araceli Masterson-Algar

Araceli Masterson-Algar is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Kansas, serving as Latinx Studies Minor Coordinator and Director of Graduate Studies. Her work bridges academic research with community engagement, focusing on migration, urban culture, and social movements in Latin America, Spain, and the U.S.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Border Studies, University of Arizona (Department of Spanish and Portuguese)
• MA in Latin American Studies, University of Arizona
• MA in Teaching and Teacher Education, University of Arizona
• BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Anthropology, Latin/o American Studies, Sociolinguistics), Western College Program, Miami University

Research Interests: Her scholarship examines migrant communities' lived experiences in transnational contexts, urban cultural dynamics, and critical pedagogies. Key areas include:

• Transnational migration patterns and policy impacts
• Urban space as site of cultural resistance
• Borderlands studies across U.S.-Mexico and Spain-Ecuador axes
• Decolonial methodologies in higher education

Publications Trends: Masterson-Algar’s recent work interrogates spatial narratives in film and literature, institutional critiques of academia, and participatory research with marginalized communities. Her 2021 publications emphasize pedagogical innovations in migration studies while 2020 articles analyze Spain’s 15-M protest movements through an Ecuadorian migrant lens.

Recognition:

• 2017 International Latino Book Award (First Place) for co-edited book

Advising & Initiatives: Leads 'Somos Lawrence' grassroots initiative advocating for immigrant rights in Lawrence, KS. Serves as Associate Editor of Journal of Urban Cultural Studies and Senior Editor of Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies. Active in Binational Migration Institute at University of Arizona.

Labs & Collaborations: Co-edited special issues on Luso-Hispanic cities (Journal of Urban Cultural Studies) and contributed to interdisciplinary projects blending theory/practice in urban studies.