Esther Hern谩ndez-Medina

Assistant Professor of Latin American Studies and Gender and Women鈥檚 Studies
With Pomona Since: 2018
  • Expertise

    Expertise

    Professor Hern谩ndez-Medina is a feminist academic, public policy expert and activist from the Dominican Republic, passionate about answering the question of how historically marginalized groups such as women, racial, ethnic and sexual minorities are able (if at all) to change public policy in their favor. She has done research on this topic in Mexico, Brazil and her own country by looking at citizen participation in urban policies in S茫o Paulo and Mexico City, the history of and recent achievements by the Dominican feminist movement, and the participatory budgeting model in the Dominican Republic and S茫o Paulo.

    Her academic work has been published in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Caribbean Studies, Berkeley Journal of Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies and Estudios Sociales. She also published a book chapter on the experience of teaching and learning during the pandemic with then Pomona senior Malak Afaneh in the edited volume Global Feminist Autoethnographies During COVID-19: Displacements and Disruptions (Routledge, editors Beoku-Betts, Josephine; Akosua Darkwah; Melanie Heath; and Bandana Purkayastha).

    Hern谩ndez-Medina is currently working as a guest co-editor of a volume on 鈥淓mbodiment and Representations of Beauty鈥 for Advances in Gender Research (Emerald, editors Vicky Demos and Marcia Segal) along with Sharina Maillo-Pozo (University of Georgia). And her book chapter 鈥淭he Right to A Complete Life: The Struggles of the Dominican Feminist Movement鈥 will be published in the fall in the edited volume Women鈥檚 Rights in Movement: Dynamics of Feminist Change in Latin America and the Caribbean (Springer, editors In茅s M. Pousadela and Simone Bohn).

    As a big believer in collaborative research and action, she has been twice awarded the Humanities Studio Faculty Fellowship at Pomona. The first time, she was part of the group of senior students and faculty working on the theme of Movement during academic year 2021-2022. She will be a HS fellow once again with the group that will work on the theme of Joy for this upcoming academic year (2023-2024). Hern谩ndez-Medina has also been a recipient of the Inclusive Pedagogy Grant and the Open Education Faculty Fellowship awarded by 麻豆影视 and the Claremont Colleges respectively.

    As a feminist activist, she co-founded , along with Yildalina Tatem Brache in the Dominican Republic. Named after the most important contemporary feminist leader in the country and one of the most renowned ones in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Tertulia aims to provide a safe space for all women to debate and learn about historical and contemporary issues from a feminist perspective.

    More recently, young feminists have created similar spaces in different parts of the country: Tertulia Feminista del Sur in Barahona, Tertulia Feminista Petronila G贸mez in Santiago, and Aquelarre RD in Bonao. After Tatem Brache鈥檚 departure last November to work on other projects, Hern谩ndez-Medina now co-coordinates la Tertulia along with Rossy Matos and Ang茅lica Rodr铆guez Bencosme. Additionally, Hern谩ndez-Medina is a long-time member of Foro Feminista Magaly Pineda, one of the most important feminist activist groups in the country also named after Pineda.

    Areas of Expertise

    • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • Dominican Republic
    • Latin American Social Movements
    • Dominican Feminist Movement
    • Democracy and Citizen Participation in Public Policy
    • Gender and Development
    • Development, Globalization, and Global Cities
    • Public Policy and Strategic Planning
  • Work

    Work

    Hern谩ndez-Medina, Esther. (forthcoming). 鈥淭he Right to a Complete Life鈥: The Struggles of the Dominican Feminist Movement鈥 in In茅s M. Pousadela and Simone R. Bohn (eds). Women's Rights in Movement- Dynamics of Feminist Change in Latin America and the Caribbean. Springer Publishing

    Hern谩ndez-Medina, Esther. (forthcoming). Guest co-editor with Sharina Maillo-Pozo. Special Volume 鈥淓mbodiment and Representations of Beauty鈥 Advances in Gender Research, Volume 34. Vicky Demos and Marcia Segal (eds). Emerald Publishing

    Hern谩ndez-Medina, Esther and Malak Afaneh. 2022. 鈥淭he Inequality the Pandemic Unveils: Teaching and Learning in the Times of COVID鈥 in Beoku-Betts, Josephine; Akosua Darkwah; Melanie Heath; and Bandana Purkayastha (eds.) . Routledge Press

    Hern谩ndez-Medina, Esther. 2018. 鈥淓l 鈥榙erecho a una vida completa鈥: Notas Incompletas sobre el Movimiento Feminista Dominicano鈥 [The 鈥楻ight to a Complete Life:鈥 Incomplete Notes about the Dominican Feminist Movement]. Estudios Sociales Vol. XLI, No. 157. Septiembre-Diciembre 2018

    Hern谩ndez Medina, Esther y Yildalina Tatem Brache. 2017. 鈥淢agaly Pineda, Una Mujer Adelantada a su Tiempo鈥 [Magaly Pineda, a Woman Ahead of Her Time]. Revista Ecos, 脫rgano del Instituto de Historia de la Universidad Aut贸noma de Santo Domingo, Vol. XXIV, No. 14. Enero-Junio 2017

    Hern谩ndez-Medina, Iluminada Esther. 2014. Urban Regime Change and Citizen Participation in Urban Policies: Conflict, Collaboration, and Corporatism in Mexico City (Doctoral dissertation). Brown University, Sociology Department

    Hern谩ndez Medina, Esther. 2013. 鈥淓l Funcionamiento del Alto Gobierno en Rep煤blica Dominicana鈥 [Functioning of the Executive Branch Coordinating Institutions in the Dominican Republic] en Nuria Cunill Grau (coord.) Fortalecimiento del Alto Gobierno para el Dise帽o, Conducci贸n y Evaluaci贸n de Pol铆ticas P煤blicas. Caracas: Centro Latinoamericano de Administraci贸n para el Desarrollo (CLAD)

    Hern谩ndez-Medina, Esther. 2010. 鈥淪ocial Inclusion through Participation: The Case of the Participatory Budgeting in S茫o Paulo.鈥 International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 34(3): 512-532

    Hern谩ndez-Medina, Esther. 2007. 鈥淕lobalizing Participation: 鈥楨xporting鈥 the Participatory Budgeting Model from Brazil to the Dominican Republic鈥 Berkeley Journal of Sociology 51: 69-118

    Itzigsohn, Jos茅; Carlos Dore Cabral; Esther Hern谩ndez Medina; Obed V谩squez. 1999. 鈥淢apping Dominican transnationalism: narrow and broad transnational practices鈥 Ethnic and Racial Studies 22(2): 316-39, March 1999

  • Education

    Education

    Ph.D. in Sociology, Brown University
    Providence, Rhode Island

    Master in Public Policy, Harvard University
    Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Master in Gender and Development, Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC)
    Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    B.A. in Economics, Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC)
    Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Recent Courses Taught

    • Transnational Feminist Theories
    • Intro to Gender and Women鈥檚 Studies
    • Gender and Development in Latin America
    • The Right to Choose? Abortion Rights in Latin America and the United States
    • Women and Power in Latin America (with Professor April Mayes)
    • Sociology through Literature
    • Globalizing Participation: Citizens Engaging the State Around the World
  • Awards & Honors

    Awards & Honors

    Year Award/Honor
    2017 Outstanding Alumna Award at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC) awarded for work as a feminist scholar, activist and public sector reformer in the Dominican Republic on behalf of women and other disadvantaged groups. Social Sciences Area, INTEC, November
    2005 "Alden Speare Jr. Memorial Award" to the most distinguished M.A. thesis from the Sociology Department during academic year 2004/2005. Sociology Department, Brown University, May
    2002/2003 Taiwanese Government Scholarship awarded for completing the Master in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
    2001/2002 Inter-American Development Bank/Government of Japan Scholarship awarded for completing the Master in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
    1994/1995 Network of Women鈥檚 NGOs Scholarship awarded for the Master in Gender and Development at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
    1990/1993 鈥淵oung National Talent鈥 Award and Scholarship awarded by the Outstanding Students Program at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic