Erika Pettersen

Erika Pettersen graduated in May 2020 with a Master’s degree from the Stone Center for Latin American Studies. Prior to her studies at Tulane, she earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Amherst College and a certificate in Arts & Culture Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania. She has also completed post baccalaureate coursework in Studio Art & Art History at Brooklyn College. Erika’s diverse educational pursuits have informed her work as a photographer, curator, and arts administrator with a wide range of New York City-based organizations and independent artists.

Analyzing media, literature, and material culture related to Mexican mestizaje, Erika’s research at the Stone Center has focused on concepts of identity and belonging through the lenses of race and gender. Alongside her academic work, Erika served as President of the Latin Americanist Graduate Organization (LAGO) and coordinated the first LAGO Symposium on Community-Engaged Scholarship in February 2020. On April 15th, 2020, she defended her thesis, entitled “The Image of la india in Oaxaca, Mexico: Forging Afro-descendant Visibility and Trans -modern Indigeneity at the 2019 Guelaguetza,” with distinction.