Gabrielle Oliveira

Gabrielle Oliveira is an Assistant Professor of Foundations of Education at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College. Her work bridges anthropology and education, focusing on immigration, mobility, and transnationalism in Latin America, with a specialization in gender and the educational trajectories of immigrant children.

• Institution: Boston College
• Degree History: Bachelor's in Brazil, Master's and Ph.D. from Teachers College and Columbia University

Research Interests: Oliveira’s ethnographic research examines how forced family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border impacts children’s educational experiences. She explores systemic responses to immigrant students’ needs, including housing, discrimination, and schooling interruptions, while integrating sociological frameworks like acculturation and transnationalism.

Recent Publications: Her 2018 book Motherhood Across Borders investigates cross-border parenting and educational adaptation, earning recognition at the Penn Ethnography Forum.

• Scientific Awards: NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019), Concha Delgado Gaitan Presidential Fellow (2018), Inaugural Outstanding Book Award in Ethnography (2018)

Advising and Grants: Co-founder of Colectiva Infancias, a Latin American network studying child migration, awarded a National Geographic Foundation grant to document migrant children’s experiences.