Rebeca Hey-Colón

Rebeca L. Hey-Colón is an Associate Professor jointly appointed in the Department of Literatures in English and the Latina/o Studies Program at Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, based at 250 Goldwin Smith Hall. Her research examines Afro-Latinx and Caribbean cultural production through interdisciplinary frameworks connecting water, migration, spirituality, and racial-gendered experiences.

Research focuses include:

• Afro-Diasporic religious epistemologies
• Border and migration studies in Latinx contexts
• Anzaldúan feminist frameworks
• Caribbean cultural analytics
• Intersections of race, gender, and spirituality

Publications explore decolonial approaches to cultural analysis, with recent investigations into themes of loss in Afro-Latinx narratives. Her award-winning book Channeling Knowledges (2023) redefines Latinidad through Black diasporic perspectives.

Major fellowships and awards:

• Isis Duarte Book Prize Honorable Mention (2024)
• Adela Zamudio Prize (2023)
• Wellesley College Visiting Faculty Fellowship
• Career Enhancement Fellowship
• Castañeda Postdoctoral Fellowship (UT Austin)

Teaching includes specialized American Studies courses:

• Spring 2025: AMST 4577 (Reading Caribbean Waters in Latinx Studies)
• Fall 2025: AMST 3679 (Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies)