Everything has history!
I hold a Ph.D. in History from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (Brazil). Since relocating to the United States in 2007, I have pursued a range of professional experiences that ultimately led me back to academia both in Brazil and internationally, and to the research question that continues to shape my work: what are the enduring legacies of eugenics in contemporary society?
I am Brazilian, Arab, Italian, and American. I have been called many things: immigrant, white, mixed, Latina, woman, mother, wife, daughter, researcher, professional. Labels, categories that independently just limit who I am. I am also a gardener, a lover of dogs and cats, a traveler, a music enthusiast, a devoted appreciator of good food (actively learning to cook better, faster, and yummier), and an aspiring photographer.
I would like to honor all women in research. We understand the struggles involved in building and consolidating a career while dividing our time among archives, sources, readings, professional networks, and the often complex power dynamics of academia, all while remaining deeply committed to the cohesive growth of our families. Ours is a constant negotiation between intellectual labor and care work, carried out within structures that have long defined intellectual authority as predominantly masculine. I came of age in the 1970s, and that formative context perhaps explains the urgency and conviction behind this reflection.
My primary fields of research are the History of the U.S. (since 1865), Latin American History (Modern), and the History of Medicine and Reproductive Rights, with a particular emphasis on the History of the Body. Beyond my professional work, my most meaningful time is spent with my husband and my out-of-the-nest daughter, Beatriz.
Pietra Diwan 