Karen Domínguez Mendoza was born and raised in Cali (Colombia), near the Pacific Coast. She holds a BA in Political Science and Conflict Resolution from the Universidad del Valle (with Best Graduate distinction) and a Master’s in Development and Governance from Universität Duisburg-Essen (funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) — Helmut Schmidt Programme). Additionally, Karen has significant working experience in civil society organisations and the corporate sector.
Karen is currently a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, fully funded by the Gates Cambridge Trust. She is particularly interested in researching the intersection of Black/Afro-hair aesthetics, anti-racism, ethnic entrepreneurship, and local development – rooted in her own lived experience as a Black woman with “kinky” hair, and connected to the embodied notions of beauty and their impacts on the concepts and practices of development in a racist context.
Karen’s research explores how ‘entrepreneurial anti-racism’ might shape the development agenda of Black aesthetics movements in Colombia, particularly from the Caribbean and the Pacific Coasts. Her approach digs into the interconnections between ‘entrepreneurial anti-racism’ and racial capitalism, which are contesting economic dynamics for Black women in the country. In addition, she investigates the salience of traditional hairstyling know-how and the tensions arising from culture preservation and market forces.
Projects
Contact
Global Racisms Institute for Social Transformation 