The Latina/o Studies Program welcomes Rebeca L. Hey-Colón, a new jointly appointed associate professor in Latina/o Studies and the Department of Literatures in English in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico to parents of the Puerto Rican diaspora, Dr. Hey-Colón received her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College in Philadelphia and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University.
Her first book, Channeling Knowledges: Water and Afro-Diasporic Spirits in Latinx and Caribbean Worlds (University of Texas Press, 2023) centers the multi-directional flows of water in contemporary Latinx and Caribbean cultural production as seen through the lens of Afro-diasporic religions. Channeling Knowledges was awarded Honorable Mention for the 2024 Isis Duarte Book Prize by the Haiti/Dominican Republic section of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). Her research has also appeared in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, Chicana/Latina Studies Journal, Latino Studies, and Small Axe, among others. Her article, “Chronic Illness and Transformation in Gloria Anzaldúa’s ‘Puddles,’” was awarded the 2023 Adela Zamudio Prize from Feministas Unidas.
Rebeca’s research and teaching focuses on Afro-Latinx, Latinx, and Caribbean studies and adds a welcome addition to the Latina/o Studies curriculum with a new course, Diasporas, Disasters, and Dissent: Re-Thinking Puerto Rican Studies in the 20th and 21st Centuries (LSP 3678) offered in Fall 2024. Rebeca is excited to join Cornell and is particularly looking forward to collaborating with colleagues and students in Latina/o Studies in order to grow and sustain the program.
In her free time, Rebeca enjoys visiting family in Puerto Rico, as well as listening to podcasts and audiobooks.
Dr. Hey-Colón can be reached by email at rlh372@cornell.edu.
