Faculty Profiles
Irma Leticia Robles-Moreno Assistant Professor, Theatre |  |
Education
- Ph.D., New York University
- M.A., New York University; M.A. University of Colorado at Boulder
- B.A., Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Teaching Interests
I teach classes on race, gender, performance and politics in the Americas. I use multiple forms of contemporary performance (including visual and sound art, social media, literature, politics, the performance of everyday life and theatre) to think about alternative forms of world-making. I invite my students to reflect upon political conflicts rooted in racial and cultural clashes and on how the liberal arts have the ability to address, analyze and work towards the transformation of these conflicts.
My classes always include artistic works that come from and generate collective efforts. At the same time, I enable environments where teamwork is made possible and where students are able to find their own forms of expression collaboratively. My classes, as well as the “acciones” (short performative actions in public space) I have coordinated, have made me realize that discussing difficult topics can be productive only if we speak from our own experiences, because this is the only way to acknowledge where we all come from.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
I study different forms of artistic collaborations, specifically “creación colectiva,” the Latin American counterpart of devised theatre. I am interested in how collective efforts can serve as strategies for survival in times of turbulent politics. Although it is true that “together we stand strong,” it is also true that this thinking can provoke confrontations between groups. In contrast, I explore how collectivities can imagine new reconfigurations and be open to change and inclusion. This is why I study how the connections between academia, art and activism (or artivism) challenge processes of exclusion and disenfranchisement. I have recently worked on the role that Latin American Antigones play in defying authoritarianism and how sisterhood and solidarity are sorely needed to achieve social justice.
My research, published both in English and Spanish, fluctuates between theory and practice, critical and race theory and political engagement. I challenge the borders of academic research to explore the limits and potentialities of what makes us both different and relatable, all from the perspective of intersectional and transnational feminisms.
