CLR Faculty Spotlight
Q: So, you recently shared that your new book was published. Congratulations! What exactly is the book about? A: Thank you! The book is about public diplomacy i.e., the diplomatic efforts directed towards citizens of other nations. Our book focused on efforts involving Latin American diasporas in the U.S., Spain, France, China, and other places. Traditionally, public diplomacy looks at government-led efforts (for example, the Mexican government promoting its culture to Colombian citizens), but because of the reach and ease of using digital and social media, it can be led by many nonstate actors, including community organizations, businesses and notfor-profits. Q: What inspired you to take on this project?
Maria DeMoya, PhD PROFESSOR| JOURNALIST COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION.
By Amanda Matthews
A: So many things! First, being a member of the Dominican diaspora– I’m very aware of my role in contributing to how people from other nations view and understand my home country and our culture. Second, as a strategic communication scholar, my research centers around how ethnic groups and organizations create narratives about themselves, or the issues they care about, and try to persuade or influence others’ actions and opinions. Lastly, but just as importantly, having a research partner– my coeditor Vanessa Bravo, of Elon University– who is a member of the Costa Rican diaspora, and shares my passion for this research--was essential in making this book happen. Q: I see that you had a career as a journalist and public relations expert before coming to DePaul, how did it feel to be a woman of color in those areas? A: This is a big question, but I will do my best to summarize. I practiced journalism and PR mostly in my home country, the Dominican Republic, so I wasn’t as aware of my person of color identity. There, I did have to deal with many challenges related to gender. However, my country’s culture, sadly, is very Macho. So, working in media, I continuously had to deal with people who would doubt my abilities, being overlooked and under-appreciated, having male supervisors take credit for my work, and sadly, I did face instances with sexual harassment. It made me develop my activist side and learn to advocate for myself at work and elsewhere. It's not easy when you are going against established culture, but it has shaped all my life and work since. During my Ph.D. and when I started teaching, even before joining DePaul, I became more aware of myself as a person of color and how others saw me. It made me feel part of a larger, more diverse community (i.e. the Latino community) which was great. Not so great was having to deal with stereotypes, micro-aggressions, being overlooked and feeling under-appreciated.
7
