Staff

Josiah Heyman

Director
Advisor, MA and Undergraduate Minor
jmheyman@utep.edu
Office Phone: (915) 747-8745
Ph.D., Anthropology, City University of New York, 1988. 

• https://hb2504.utep.edu/Home/Profile?username=jmheyman
• https://utep.academia.edu/JosiahHeyman 

For copies of any publications, please see the academia.edu page or email jmheyman@utep.edu . He is interested in all things that concern borders, and the processes that shape them and pass through them. His three most recent inquiries are regulation of spatial movement generally (building on, but going beyond borders per se), participant observation of engaged/activist anthropology (and lessons thereof), and unequal territorialization and political ecology of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, currently examining water. Much of his past work centers on the presence of and limits to state power at borders. This has connected to a specific focus on migration and mobility. It has also lead to a focus on state workers, bureaucratic work processes, societal power and bureaucracies, etc. His border and migration work in turn has lead to an active role in public policy, focusing on alternative migration and border policies for the United States. That, in turn, has lead to a long sequence of works on values, advocacy, and social science (applied or engaged anthropology). He is also interested in border cultures and complex/dynamic analyses of them, and how such approaches contribute to culture theory generally. He has also worked for many years on anthropology of work, of working classes, household economies (including unpaid/reproductive work within capitalism), and consumption. He has contributed modestly to the nascent field of political ecology, and to political economy within anthropology. He was a student of Eric Wolf, and remains an advocate of his legacy in anthropology.

Mark H. Jurado

Research Scientist-Associate
mhjurado@utep.edu
Office Phone: (915) 747-6192

Mark H. Jurado holds a Master of Education in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from New Mexico State University. His research interests are achievement motivation and educational resilience among first-generation, low-income youth. A student capacity-building approach is a critical aspect of his approach to ensuring highly individualized student support. Stressing motivation, self-assessment and goal clarification, his work with federal TRIO Programs has helped students from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed in their higher education pursuits.

Silvia Torezani

Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology (half time appointment to Latin American and Border Studies)
satorezani@utep.edu
Office Phone (915) 747-6829

Silvia Torezani, a PhD in Anthropology (University of Western Australia), teaches on border studies, Latin American migration and global health. Participatory teaching and mentoring students are important aspects of her approach to teaching. Her research interests are in the areas of migrant elderly healthcare access in the U.S.-Mexico border, and Latin American migration in multicultural contexts, with a focus on Australia. She is currently finalizing data collection and analysis on a PIMSA-funded project on Mexican migrant elderly access to healthcare in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.

Jeremy Slack 

Assistant Professor of Geography (half time appointment to Latin American and Border Studies)
jmslack@utep.edu

Masters Research Assistants

Alexia Nava Carmona

Alexia Nava Carmona served as the copy editor and reporter for the university’s official student newspaper, The Prospector. She is currently in the MA program in Latin American and Border Studies (LABS). She is interested in learning about transnational connections to help improve quality of life along the border zone. Presently, Alexia is participating in the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network Project.

Ileana Morales

Ileana Morales is currently in the MA program in Latin America and Border Studies (LABS). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at El Paso. As an undergraduate, she earned a fellowship with NOAA EPP/MSI Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies which continued through her master's. She assisted in research that focused on identifying perceptions, social cohesiveness, and resilience practices on extreme urban heat by the residents of El Paso. She is interested in learning about heat impacts to help improve the quality of life for vulnerable populations. Presently, Ileana is working as a research assistant to examine the impacts of rapidly rising water prices on low-income households in El Paso, Texas

Mara I. Rodríguez Gámez

Mara I. Rodríguez Gámez is an international student from Sonora, México where she obtained her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Instituto Teconológico Superior de Cajeme ITESCA. She is currently in the MA program in Latin American and Border Studies. She worked for over 6 years at the Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso, assisting the Mexican population in the U.S. - México border region, were she managed the cases of children and young migrants. Her research interests and experience include the phenomenon of migration in the U.S. - México border region, especially displaced children, and human rights in the criminal justice system.

Daniel Avitia

Daniel Avitia is pursuing an MA in Latin American and Border Studies, along with a graduate certificate in Public Health. He is interested in border phenomenology, ontology, and epistemology as means to assemble practical and creative care for all lifeforms. Daniel has dwelt with migratory phenomena participating in local projects and working as a medical interpreter for unaccompanied migrant children. He holds a BA in Philosophy with a minor in Latin American and Border Studies from UTEP. Daniel has volunteered as a research assistant featuring presentations sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research, Latin American Studies Association International Congress, the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy, and COURI. Daniel is currently a member of the El Paso Community College Philosophy Club.

Melanie Escobar

Melanie Escobar is currently in the MA program in Latin American and Border Studies (LABS). She holds a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Texas at El Paso. She currently participates in the National Covid-19 Resiliency Network Project as a graduate research assistant. Her research interests include environmental health, coca grower workers' human rights, and immigration.

Horacio Estavillo

Horacio Estavillo obtained a BA in Political Science with a minor in Latin American and Border Studies (LABS) from the University of Texas at El Paso. As an undergraduate, he held the position of President of Visión México, a student organization facilitating the successful transitioning of Mexican students at UTEP. He is currently in the MA program in LABS. His goal is to continue studying the evolution of NAFTA and the binational politics of Mexico/United States. He is currently a research assistant examining the impacts of rapidly rising water prices on low-income households in El Paso, Texas.

Luis J. Quinones

Luis J. Quinones is currently in the MA program in Latin American and Border Studies (LABS). He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH). He has experience in cultural management, mainly in film production and film exhibition. His research interests include the role of arts and cultural events at the border region, art and bilingualism, and border narratives. Luis is interested in the study, development, and support of the arts at the binational metroplex.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Dylan Diaz-Infante

Dylan Diaz-Infante is studying issues surrounding borderland climate change, especially the anthropology and geography of water and human water systems. He is interested in the political-economic, health, and phenomenological dimensions of water usage in different societal contexts and pressures. He wants to become an environmental anthropologist and engage in multidisciplinary programs of research into key issues at the intersection of climate change’s effects on human water systems and human water culture. Dylan is an avid hiker; loves science, film, music, literature; and interactive and immersive media like video games and other audiovisual arts.