Juan Luis Rodríguez

Juan Luis Rodríguez is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY). He holds a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) awarded in 2011. His research focuses on semiotic ideologies, linguistic practices, and their roles in state formation and diasporic identity dynamics. He combines discourse-centered ethnography with analyses of translation and semiotic transduction to explore political influence and resource distribution.

His book Language and Revolutionary Magic in the Orinoco Delta (2011) examines how translation and transduction processes shape political engagement among Warao speakers in Venezuela. Recent collaborative work with Dr. Miki Makihara investigates linguistic intimacy in the Venezuelan diaspora, supported by grants from CUNY’s PSC-Research Foundation and Queens College’s Research Enhancement Program.

Teaching specialties include courses on language and culture, linguistic identity, and political discourse in Latin America. His research spans Venezuela’s sociopolitical landscape, indigenous communities, and diasporic linguistic practices.