I’m Maya Machado, a sociologist, ethnographer, and filmmaker whose work explores Blackness, migration, memory, and identity formation in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a particular focus on Panama and the Afro-Panamanian diaspora. I am currently a PhD candidate in Sociology at University of California San Diego, where my research combines ethnographic interviews, participant observation, archival inquiry, and visual storytelling to examine how Black communities sustain, negotiate, and transform identity across generations.
My dissertation project, The Evolution of Blackness in Panama, investigates the historical and contemporary forces shaping Afro-Panamanian life, including mestizaje, migration, cultural preservation, activism, and globalization. Alongside my written scholarship, I create ethnographic films and multimedia projects that document cultural memory, oral histories, music, celebration, and everyday life within Afro-diasporic communities.
Beyond academia, I am passionate about public scholarship, ethical storytelling, and making research accessible beyond the university. My work bridges sociology, anthropology, film, and digital media, with the goal of preserving cultural histories while creating spaces for dialogue, representation, and connection.
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