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ASU anthropologist recognized for inspiring community


October 11, 2013

Casandra Hernandez is an anthropologist with a passion for art, culture and social justice.

Recently, ABC 15’s Sonoran Living profiled her and lauded her as a woman who is “making a difference in our community.”

Hernandez is the interpretation and programs coordinator at Arizona State University’s Deer Valley Rock Art Center, part of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“My job is really to think about how we can translate anthropology to audiences, and how do we use anthropology as a tool to think about our everyday social realities ... our political movements ... migration ... culture, as something that is fluid and constructed as opposed to fixed and essential,” she explains.

Born and raised in Sonora, Mexico, Hernandez has made the Phoenix area her home for the last 12 years. She uses her background as a bicultural woman to facilitate understanding and collaboration between groups of people.

Issues of belonging and cultural citizenship are important to Hernandez. So are expressions of art and creativity.

This month, Hernandez is helping bring internationally renowned performance artists to the Deer Valley Rock Art Center for a unique outdoor event titled “Desierto Remix: Performance in the Desert.”

Article source: Sonoran Living

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