George Ygarza

George  Ygarza received his Ph.D. from the Department of Global Studies in June 2023. His transdisciplinary dissertation work examines state discourses and policy through a case study of extractive mineral mining in the southern Andes. He continues to work with communities in the area to examine the history of political formations and knowledge production. George relies on a mixed methods approach, engaging in archival and action research, ethnography, and discourse analysis. In August 2023, he began as a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow with the “Dispossessions in the Americas: The Extraction of Bodies, Land, and Heritage from La Conquista to the Present” project at the University of Pennsylvania.

George participated in the World Social Forum in Montreal and was part of the Alliance for Global Justice delegation with Dr. Jill Stein at the People’s Climate Summit in Lima, Peru, where he collaborated on communiques, public forums, and other forms of public engagement. His translations, interviews, and op-eds have appeared on NACLA, Upsidedownworld, ROAR magazine, and Truthout. George has also spoken on essential workers for the UCSB Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy. George’s scholarly research and social activism inform his teaching as well, which was recently recognized with the 2020-21 Graduate Student Association Excellence in Teaching Award.

George’s recent public work includes his recent interview on essential workers for the UCSB Blum Center, his ongoing work in the Black Lives Matter Paterson collective that includes a recent publication in Truthout on Abolition and Mutual Aid, as well as numerous other grant writing and research assignments.

Connect with George on ResearchGate.

Read about George’s fellow-designed community project with BLM Paterson.

Watch George’s Spring 2022 Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Program Capstone Presentation:

Learn more about George’s research in this short video: