Ruth Elizabeth Velásquez Estrada

Ruth Elizabeth Velásquez Estrada is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in Latina/Latino Studies, Anthropology, the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her interdisciplinary work bridges cultural anthropology and social justice frameworks.

Her research examines structural violence, peace processes, and intersectional justice in post-conflict societies, with a regional focus on El Salvador. Key themes include:

• Racism, masculinity, and gendered violence in peace accords
• Grassroots reconciliation versus state-led peacemaking
• Decolonial and fugitive anthropological methodologies
• Activist scholarship centering marginalized communities

Her publications analyze the paradoxes of post-war societies through ethnographic fieldwork, highlighting tensions between official peace agreements and persistent systemic violence. Recent work (2022) critiques the failure of intersectional justice in El Salvador despite formal peace processes.