Carmelo Esterrich to Present at the 13th Puerto Rican Studies Association Biennial Conference

Humanities, History, and Social Sciences Associate Professor Carmelo Esterrich presented a paper at the 13th Puerto Rican Studies Association Biennial Conference at the end of October. Esterrich presented his paper titled “Sissy that Rican: Negotiating Multifarious Puerto Rican-ness in RuPaul’s Drag Race.” His work examines expressions of identity in cultural production by looking at Alexis Mateo and Yara Sofia, two contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the Emmy Award-winning reality competition program that has also featured alums Shee Coulee ’11 and Kim Chi.

The 13th Puerto Rican Studies Association Biennial Conference is a space for professional development among new generations of experts on Puerto Rican Studies. The conference also provides a venue for film and art exhibitions and for trade publishers to showcase their most recent books.