Yvette Martinez-Vu (University of California, Los Angeles ’08) is currently in the initial stages of dissertation writing for her project, tentatively titled, Transindigenous Affinities: Gender, Indigeneity, and Objects in Mexicana and Chicana Performance. Yvette’s research focuses on the function of ceremonial and/or quotidian objects within post-1980s Mexican and Chicana/o performances by women that address issues of indigeneity.

Yvette is thrilled to announce that she has been able to successfully complete her prospectus, pass her qualifying exams, and advance to candidacy in late-April, made possible by the support she received while participating in the Mellon Mays Proposal Writing and Dissertation Development Seminar.

This year, Yvette attended her first international conference with the funding received from the SSRC Graduate Studies Enhancement Grant. In January, she traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil where I presented her work at the Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics’ Encuentro. This conference allowed Yvette to engage in dialogue with leading scholars and artists in her field and from across the Americas.

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