Dr. Paola Vargas Arana

Biography

Paola Vargas Arana is a Research Associate at the University of Manchester, with expertise in anthropology and early modern history. Her research focuses on African and African-descendant knowledge from an Atlantic perspective, particularly on food systems and the contributions of African cultures to ideas of freedom. She combines ethnographic and archival research to examine historical perspectives that illuminate contemporary challenges and inform pathways to meaningful solutions. Her current work emphasizes West African economic thought, examining knowledge-making and foodways in the context of broader histories of inequality and mobility. Paola has collaborated internationally on funded projects and has experience in project management, developing budgets, and coordinating recruitment processes. She has been involved in structured mentoring programs for undergraduates and postgraduates in the UK, Latin America, and West Africa. She has co-organized conferences and workshops aimed at advancing early-career women in academia. Paola has received prestigious fellowships including the British Academy Newton International Fellowship, and she has been a postdoctoral fellow at King's College London and the University of Edinburgh. Her upcoming book, "African Memories, Foodways Freedom Colonial Colombia's Gold Mines: Gender, Identities, Intercultural Worlds Antioquia," will be published by British Academy Liverpool University Press.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards