Vivian Alejandra Arimany

Vivian Alejandra Arimany

Vivian Arimany is a PhD student in Contemporary Latin American cultures. She's also a student in the Institute for the Study of Gender and Sexuality (ISSG) and the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society (ICLS). Originally from Guatemala, she has a BA in Comparative Literature from Beloit College, Wisconsin, and an MA in Hispanic Literature from Michigan State University, where she wrote a thesis project on queerness, feminism, and the symbolism of nature in the poetry of Gabriela Mistral.

At Columbia, Vivian is researching written and performative practices by women in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on cultural production that portrays femicide. Her research questions the ethics of how gender based violence is consumed by cultures outside of Latin America and how the lived experiences of feminine subjects is translated diasporically. Before embarking on the academic track, Vivian worked for some time in publishing, and when not reading or teaching, she enjoys yoga, walking through parks, and listening to music, live or at home. Vivian is also a published translator and poet. Her work was published or is forthcoming from Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, Melville House, Fundación Yaxs, and the American Book Review.