May 9, 2012—Whether she is documenting the deadly effects of open-fire cooking and heating on children and women in Mayan homes in highland Guatemala, rescuing the history of indigenous women in Mexico, or writing about the geographical expansion and institutional growth of the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica, UO associate professor and documentary filmmaker Gabriela Martínez (SOJC) carries out her work with a mixture of heart, intelligence, and skill that brings life and gravitas to the product. Co-creator with Lynn Stephen (Anthropology) in 2010-11 of the Latino Roots class, which culminated in the making of 18 oral history documentaries by UO students, Martínez has spent her 2011-12 sabbatical year in part by documenting historical atrocities from Guatemala’s civil war and conducting research for a book about the political economy of collective memory.
Soon she will be taking on a new post with the UO Center for the Study of Women in Society. In making the announcement, CSWS director Carol Stabile said: “Gabriela is a fantastic colleague, collaborator, scholar, and documentary-maker. I am delighted that she will be joining CSWS in the fall as associate director.”
Martínez has a long history of working interactively with CSWS, participating in research interest groups, speaking as a Roads Scholar, serving on the executive committee, and pursuing research funded by the center.
- Trailer of one of her documentaries in progress
- Latin American Telecommunications: Telefónica’s Conquest, by Gabriela Martínez (Lexington Books, 2008).
- CSWS Research Matters: “Maya Women Breathing Easier: Reducing Indoor Air Pollution in Highlands Guatemala,” by Gabriela Martínez, assistant professor, School of Journalism and Communication
- Women, Media, and Rebellion in Oaxaca
