Vanessa Catania 

Master's student in political science, specializing in feminist studies 

catania.vanessa@uqam.ca

I am a master’s student in political science at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), under the supervision of Nora Nagels. My thesis project, entitled Feminist Land Struggles and Institutions: A Political Analysis of Rural Resistance in the barrios jóvenes of Lima, is framed within a critical and feminist perspective. I completed a bachelor’s degree in international relations and international law at UQÀM, with a concentration in Italian language and culture.

Throughout my academic journey, I have cultivated a multidisciplinary profile, combining academic, community, and professional engagement. I served on the board of directors of BQAM-E and coordinated my department’s mentorship program. I also completed an international solidarity internship with the NGO Federation of Nepal, where I conducted research on the impact of urban agriculture on the empowerment of women and marginalized groups in the Kathmandu Valley, in connection with local public policies. I have published several articles in Le Journal des Alternatives on Indigenous rights, urban agriculture, and the underfunding of community organizations in Nepal.

At the master’s level, I aim to bring together my strong interest in international relations, international politics, and feminism. I wish to dedicate my thesis to the grassroots feminist movement for land rights appropriation led by rural women in the barrios jóvenes of Peru. My goal is to connect this form of empowerment with ecofeminist concepts from a decolonial perspective, while analyzing the role of government institutions in this development.

Langues: français, anglais, italien, espagnol