Faculty Profile for Dr. Rachel Romero

Biography Section

Biography and Education

I was born and raised in Havana City, Cuba, and immigrated to the US as a teenager. Our family settled in a suburb outside of Dallas, and I have lived in Texas since. Currently, I live in Austin, where I enjoy spending time in the outdoors—parks, hikes, and city walks. I love summers, museums, yoga, sharing meals with family and friends, and the arts broadly defined. My husband is my favorite thinking-partner.

Ph.D. in Sociology, Texas A&M University - College Station
M.A. in Sociology, Texas A&M University - College Station
B.S. in Sociology, University of North Texas
B.S. in Spanish, University of North Texas

Teaching Interests

My teaching philosophy is informed by critical and humanistic practices that share an affinity with feminists, anti-racists, postmodern, and post-colonial approaches. I encourage democratic participation in the classroom and always aim to create a dialogic space where the students and I, as a community of learners, can deepen socio-emotional awareness, criticality, curiosity, creativity, and play.

Popular Culture and Society
Qualitative Research Methods
Arts-based Research Methods
Social Inequalities
Sociological Theory

Research Interests

My research interests are interdisciplinary, qualitative driven, and focus on culture. I have researched gentrification, Austin’s street art scene, urban farming, and student teaching and learning. More recently, I’ve been interested in arts-based methods, social settings that promote creativity, and the story of my Cubanness. My research has been published in journals such as City & Community, Humanity & Society, and Teaching Sociology.

Qualitative Methodologies
Arts-based Methodologies
Critical Methodologies
Culture
Creativity

ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1145-2320