Mentor & Mentee Interview

Dr. Zakiya Luna in Conversation with Ad’mirel Durden

How did you decide that academia was the right path for you?

Luck! When I first started my undergraduate degree, I was convinced that I’d enter into pre-law. The first class that I took, though, was Introduction to Sociology – and I quickly abandoned that idea. Realizing that you could make a career out of producing (hopefully) meaningful, evidence-based insights about the social world was enough to draw me into the world of academia. I never looked back after that class!

As you have grown as a scholar, how have your interests and career goals changed?

Honestly, not much! In my career, I want to contribute meaningful insights on how and why health disparities are produced, in order to help folks (who are way smarter than me) develop concrete solutions toward population health equity. That’s remained fixed in place since the beginning!

If you could give your younger self advice about being a part of the academy, what would it be?

Don’t waste so much time thinking that you don’t belong here!

What are some of the biggest challenges and some of your favorite parts about being in academia?

Favorite parts: The flexibility to work on what I feel is important; The flexibility in how I organize my workday; Working with students as they develop their research interests and ideas

Challenges: The flexibility in how I organize my workday

What do you believe the future of your discipline(s)/ interdisciplinary field to be?

What do you theorize will be the future of this academic field(s) and their real-life implications/importance?

I believe the future of Latin American Studies will continue to be centered on interdisciplinary modes of analysis. Since this program is relatively new, I hope to see more of these programs offered at universities to pursue at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Latin American Studies programs will have implications for analyzing how cultural products, such as film, music, and art, impact Latine identity. Furthermore, I hope there will be greater attention to historical and contemporary social movements and mobilizations in Latin American countries and in Latine communities. I theorize that there will be more studies on the intersectionality of identities, whether it is gender, sexuality, nationality, language, race, ethnicity, class, and indigeneity. The intersectional identity approaches are necessary to resist homogenizing the experiences of people from Latin American countries and Latine communities. Typically, Latin American Studies focuses on Latin American countries, but I hope that the future of this program will also engage with the Latin American diaspora across the globe.

While I do not currently specialize in a specific discipline as an undergrad in college, I believe that the future of political science will involve a radical shift in the way that political theory interacts with the real world. Political scientists and theorists will need to grapple with the challenges that arise from issues such as climate change, economic and social inequality, and political extremism. As a discipline, political science will have to find ways to foster healthy political debate about these types of issues, while also balancing the need for urgent and pragmatic solutions. I also believe that political science will need to fully embrace its interdisciplinary nature and fi nd better ways to incorporate various analyses, methodologies, and insights from other fields and disciplines. Interdisciplinary approaches will be crucial in the future of political science and political theory, as they provide a means of addressing complex societal challenges and developing effective solutions that re fl ect the diversity of perspectives and expertise required.