Associate Professor

Spanish & Portuguese

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Naomi Pueo Wood is an Associate Professor in the Spanish and Portuguese department, hired in 2011 to initiate the Portuguese language program and teach Luso-Brazilian, Latin American and Caribbean studies. Her research focuses on queer popular culture and emphasizes visual and performing arts. Her current book manuscript in progress is an exploration of LGBTQ+ artists across the Hemispheric Americas and their engagement with decolonial and feminist social movements-- both explicit or implicit. Imagining a community of artists across the Americas linked by gender and sexual deviance--cu, cuir, queer- this work is also attentive to identity categories and the exportation of a U.S-based identity marker, like “queer”. Through an exploration of visual and performance artists from a variety of countries, the chapters highlight the common struggles that gain strength from globalized collaboration and observe where and how instances of queer appropriation happen for cultural capital. The chapters are organized around recurring themes and questions that traverse form and national borders. The central themes are: “queer” as an identity and verb; feminist social movements; racialization in the Americas; and, globalization of pop culture. The innovative artists included in this book come from across the American Hemisphere and include examples from Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.

Research Interests

Latin American Feminisms
Caribbean Literatures and Cultures
Brazilian Cultural Studies
Gender and Queer Studies
Performance and Dance Studies
Popular Culture
Diaspora Studies
Film and Visual Arts