Nancy Raquel Mirabal

Nancy Raquel Mirabal is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, and holds affiliate appointments in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center, Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity. Her work bridges Afro-diasporic and Latinx studies with a focus on migration, archives, and urban space.

Education:

• Ph.D. in History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• B.A. in History, University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests: Mirabal examines the intersections of race, migration, and cultural production through archival and oral history methods. Her key areas include:
- Cuban diasporic communities in New York
- Afro-Latino intellectual histories
- Archive decolonization and preservation
- Gentrification's impact on marginalized communities

Publications: Her monograph Suspect Freedoms (2017) redefines Cuban exile history, while her edited volumes like Keywords in Latina/o Studies (2017) shape disciplinary frameworks. Recent work explores 'dissonant visibilities' in diasporic archives and spatial politics in gentrifying urban areas.

Awards:

• NEH DC Community Heritage Grant (2020)
• Schomburg Center Fellowship (2012-2013)
• SSRC International Migration Fellowship (2002-2003)

Engagement: Mirabal serves on the Center for Global Migration Studies' advisory board and Teaching for Change's board. She has led projects like the DC Queer Studies Symposium and collaborated with community oral history initiatives in San Francisco's Mission District.

Labs/Initiatives: Co-director of the Indigenous Futures Lab, exploring decolonial methodologies in humanities research. Active in the D.C. Queer Studies collective analyzing LGBTQ+ histories in the nation's capital.