Dr. Patricia Fernandez Kelly

Biography

Patricia Fernandez-Kelly is a Professor of Sociology and the Acting Chair of the Effron Center for the Study of America at Princeton University. As a social anthropologist, her research interests encompass international economic development, gender, class, ethnicity, and urban ethnography. Her early work included a global ethnography of export-processing zones in Asia and Latin America during the late 1970s, leading to her book, "Sold, Women: Industry Mexico's Frontier," which was hailed by Contemporary Sociology as one of the top twenty-five favorite books of the twentieth century. She also co-produced the Emmy-award winning documentary "The Global Assembly Line," contributing significantly to discussions on migration and economic restructuring. Among her notable publications are "Art Lives Immigrant Communities in the United States" and “Hero’s Fight: African Americans in West Baltimore Shadow State,” which was a finalist for the C. Wright Mills Award. Currently, Fernandez-Kelly is working on a book titled "Hialeah Dreams: Making Cuban-American Working Class in South Florida," raising critical issues about poverty in America and its disproportionate impact on Black and Hispanic populations. Her scholarly contributions emphasize the complexities of poverty and the interactions between government institutions and marginalized communities.

Research Interests

Experience