2022 Incoming Grad Series: Yuri Fraccaroli

THE STORY

I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. As an undergraduate student, I joined a double-degree program: Public Policies Management at University of São Paulo and Public Administration at University of Vigo (Spain), funded by an academic merit scholarship. A few years later, I pursued my Master's degree in Social Psychology at the University of São Paulo. At UCSB, I am pursuing a PhD in Feminist Studies.

Although I was born in São Paulo, my childhood was always divided between São Paulo and Campo Grande, the city where my mother's relatives lived. Campo Grande is the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, a state which holds the Pantanal ecosystem. Thus, during my childhood I had a real contrast between a truly urban environment and a more rural experience, especially when my grandparents moved towards the interior of the State. As is typical in Brazil, my family roots are really diverse, including European, Black, and indigenous heritage. I am also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and have focused my research on topics relevant to this community.

WHY UCSB

UCSB was my first choice of graduate program because of the high-quality research conducted by the faculty of the Feminist Studies department. My PhD advisor's research interests completely matched with the topic I wanted to study: queer migrations to the US. And the beautiful location of the campus provided extra motivation for me to choose UCSB!

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interests concern gender and sexuality. Methodologically, I am interested in memory studies and oral histories. However, I used to study politics and therefore also have some publications in that field. My Master's dissertation was a memory study on the sex dissident social practices and spaces in the city of São Paulo (1970/1980). It included 6 testimonies, archival research, and a literature review. For my PhD research I plan to study Latin-American queer migrations to the United States.

FUN FACTS

I am an active member of Acervo Bajubá Acervo Bajubá, a communitarian collection/archive located in São Paulo, which holds more than 4.000 items related to the memories/histories of Brazilian LGBTQIA+ communities. In that regard, I have participated in several cultural projects, including podcasts, curatorships, and public conferences.

I also love to draw with coal, write short texts and poems, and to travel.

Another fun fact is that I am a big fan of tattoos; I have my right arm completely covered in them.