Gerardo Rodriguez Solis

Gerardo Rodriguez Solis is a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow (2024-2026) affiliated with the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on racial capitalism, labor migration, and state formation in Mexico’s agricultural sectors. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from UCSB, an M.A. from El Colegio de Michoacán, and a B.A. in Sociology from the Universidad de Guadalajara.

Education:

• B.A. in Sociology (2010), Universidad de Guadalajara
• M.A. in Social Anthropology (2013), El Colegio de Michoacán
• Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, UC Santa Barbara

Research Interests: Solis examines how racialized labor control mechanisms and spatial segregation perpetuate exploitation in Mexico’s agroindustrial complexes. His work critiques state policies and corporate practices that legitimize labor precarity while masking anti-Indigenous racism and migrant hostility. He employs critical race theory, political economy, and ethnographic methods.

Key Themes in Publications: Recent articles analyze racial discourses in Mexican media, historical labor exploitation in sugar cane plantations, and the role of transnational agribusiness in enforcing spatial confinement. His 2024 work on Sonora’s labor programs reveals how state-corporate alliances mask exploitation under social policy guises.

Awards:

• UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship (2024-2026)
• Arturo Warman Prize Honorable Mention (2013) for MA thesis

Grants & Advising: Solis has led research projects on migrant labor and Afro-Mexican communities, collaborating with institutions like the Walsh Center for RuralEX (UCSB). His work highlights intersections of race, class, and mobility in border imperialism contexts.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies (UCSB) and the Colegio de Sonora. Active in migrant justice initiatives and interdisciplinary collaborations on agrarian capitalism.