Rocío Bravo

Rocío Bravo is a Professor-Researcher at the University of the Sierra Sur (UNSIS) in Mexico, where she serves as faculty and manages the Institute of Municipal Studies and the Bachelor's program in Public Administration. Concurrently, she is a PhD student at the University of Tübingen's Institute of Political Science in Germany, where she holds a CONACYT-DAAD Doctoral Fellowship under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Andreas Hasenclever.

Her academic journey includes a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations from CIDE in Mexico City, a semester abroad at the Catholic University of Lima, and a Master's degree in Political Science from the Otto Suhr Institute at the Free University of Berlin, where she also worked as a research assistant at the Iberoamerican Institute.

• University of the Sierra Sur (UNSIS), Mexico - Professor-Researcher
• University of Tübingen, Germany - PhD Student (since March 2021)
• CIDE (Center of Economic Research and Teaching), Mexico - Bachelor's degree
• Free University of Berlin - Master's degree

Bravo's research focuses on political participation in indigenous communities governed by internal normative systems, human and sustainable development in indigenous communities, and institutional capacities of municipalities operating under customary law. Her PhD project analyzes religious intolerance stemming from religious divergence within indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico, examining how religious pluralism interacts with traditional communal life and 21st-century modernity.

Her scholarly output demonstrates consistent engagement with Oaxacan indigenous communities, political participation, and development issues. Her recent publications show a trajectory moving from electoral politics and civil society to deeper exploration of indigenous governance systems, community practices, and the intersection of traditional knowledge with modern development frameworks. The geographical focus remains predominantly on Oaxaca, with particular attention to the Southern Sierra region.

• CONACYT-DAAD Doctoral Fellow

As an educator, Bravo has supervised numerous academic works and actively contributes to both Mexican and German academic communities. Her dual appointment reflects a transnational academic career that bridges European theoretical frameworks with Mexican indigenous realities. At UNSIS, she plays a significant administrative role managing academic programs while maintaining an active research agenda focused on indigenous governance and development.

Her work with the Institute of Municipal Studies at UNSIS demonstrates her commitment to practical applications of political science in municipal governance contexts, particularly those involving indigenous communities operating under customary law systems.