Jimmy Lizama
Ph.D. Student
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Area of Study
PhD in Rhetoric
Bio
My research interests include race and migration, racial rhetorical criticism, counterpublics and counterpublicity, as well as affect studies. My most recent research, published in the journal of Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, explores how the Trump administration created an anti-immigrant narrative targeted at Central American migrants and their descendants. I argue that this xenophobic narrative is distinct from historical anti-Mexican narratives to the degree that it focuses on unaccompanied minor children, the figure of the child, and normative expectations about motherhood to narrow the borders of national belonging. Future dissertation work will trace additional nuances and consequences of the Trump administration’s nativist framing of Central Americans.
Education
- M.A. in Rhetoric, Carnegie Mellon University
- B.A. in English with Honors, University of Maryland, College Park
Research
Race and Migration, Racial Rhetorical Criticism, Counterpublics and Counterpublicity, Affect Studies