Elizabeth Velásquez Estrada

Elizabeth Velásquez Estrada is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and affiliated with multiple centers at the University of Illinois, including Latina/Latino Studies, Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity, and Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. A Salvadoran migrant scholar-activist, she focuses on violence and grassroots peacemaking, racialization and gender in El Salvador, transnational feminisms, and the politics of intersectional inequalities.

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin (2017)
• M.A. in Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin (2011)

Her research examines the paradox of Salvadoran youth gangs as both violent actors and peacemakers, emphasizing women's roles in intersectional justice movements. She co-edits the volume Fugitive Anthropology, centering embodiment as an analytic for marginalized researchers.

Recent publications span American Anthropologist, Cultural Anthropology, and Social Justice, analyzing post-conflict justice, decolonized fieldwork, and activist methodologies. Awards include NSF support, IAF Grassroots Development Fellowship, and SSRC Gender Justice Fellowship.