Project Title: Mexico’s Mayan Train: The Coloniality of National Development Projects
Debbie Samaniego
Debbie Samaniego is an Assistant Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Her research draws on a range of critical approaches, most prominently decolonial and settler colonial studies to examine migration politics within the modern international order. Broadly, she is working on three strands of research. First, she examines the coloniality of global migration governance, including the externalization and militarization of borders. Second, she analyses the historical continuity of racialized migrant labor regimes in the US, UK, and EU. Third, she studies colonial/imperial projects in Latin America and their relationship to displacement and forced migration. She is currently working on a book manuscript titled “Rethinking Migration through the Colonial Question” which argues that the US is not experiencing a migration crisis, but rather a colonial crisis. She received a M.A. in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London and a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Sussex.
About the APSA Advancing Research Grants for Early Career Scholars
The APSA Diversity and Inclusion Advancing Research Grants provide support for research that examines political science phenomena affecting historically underserved communities and underrepresented groups and communities. In July 2024, APSA awarded ten projects for the APSA Diversity and Inclusion Advancing Research Grant for Early Career Scholars for a combined total award amount of $20,000. Read more about the funded projects here: