Dr. Ramona Pérez is currently Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at San Diego State University.  Her research focuses on the significance of community in Mexican identity, gendered negotiations of family and household, ethnic marginalization and the state, binational youth identity and family composition, and the moral economy of lead poisoning in ceramic production among artisan communities in Oaxaca, Mexico.  Her current work includes nutritional outreach and counseling for lead-bound bodies, alternative tourisms and economic strategies for tourist based communities, and adolescent and youth identity and empowerment among rural Mexican communities in Baja California and Oaxaca.  She also conducts a summer qualitative research fieldschool in Oaxaca, directs internship opportunities for graduate students in the border region, and coordinates the Mixtec and Zapotec language program at SDSU. 

Dr. Pérez received her B.A. from San Diego State University in 1992, her M.A. (1995) and her Ph.D. (1997) from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Pérez publishes and lectures for both an academic and popular audience.

Office: AL-377J
Phone: (619) 594-1155
E-mail: perez@mail.sdsu.edu