Welcome to PhDeviate!
¡Bievenid@s a PhDe’víate!
My name is Marta S. Rivera Monclova, and I received a PhD in English Literature from Tufts University in May, 2010. My doctoral dissertation, Discrimination, Evasion, and Livability in Four New York Puerto Rican Narratives reflects my interest in Puerto Rican literature. In this dissertation, I explore sexuality and family structure, and how they relate to discrimination, as well as poverty, colonialism, the criminal justice system, and New York City housing.
Since graduation, I have done more work on poetry, and recently presented a paper to the Scholar’s Seminar at the annual meeting of the T.S. Eliot society, looking at race and racism in “Sweeney Agonistes” through a Lacanian psychoanalytic lens. I have also been active in helping to organize the first ever technology and humanities conference in the Caribbean, which happened in November, in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
On this site you will find expanded versions of the information included in my CV, including my teaching experience, the abstracts of my various presentations and talks, a list of my professional and community activities, and of course my dissertation abstract. You can also download a pdf of my complete CV. I have recently updated the site with the full bibliography of my dissertation and the first chapter, on Piri Thomas’ Down These Mean Streets. Use the navigation bar at the top of each page to find out more about me. Like most of the internet, this site is an ongoing project; please check back for updates and additions.
In the meantime, I have also included links to other sites I find useful or interesting, as well as links to other places online where I maintain a presence. Chief among the latter is on twitter: @PhDeviate. I do not blog extensively, though this site will contain the occasional musing on academic, literary, or political topics, but I do tweet. Initially very resistant to Twitter, I have found that it is an amazing way to obtain news coverage of topics frequently neglected by mainstream media.
Feel free to contact me! Leave a comment on a blog post, send me a tweet, or e-mail me using the form below!
A note on naming: My name follows a somewhat contrarian version of Spanish Language Naming Customs. Marta is my first name. My middle name is Schoonmaker, which is my mother’s maiden name, but I only ever use the initial. My last names are Rivera Monclova. You are welcome to use both, or to use Rivera. In class, students call me Professor Rivera. If we are on a last name basis, Dr. Rivera or Prof. Rivera are fine. In official, formal, or otherwise documentary situations, I prefer Marta S. Rivera Monclova. Monclova is not correct if used alone. If we are on a first name basis, then of course Marta is the word!
