ES Mentored BEACoN Research Projects 2025
ES Faculty mentored projects: Pacific Detours: Toward a Decolonial Approach to Travel Writing & The Anatomy of a Good Lime- Exploring Race, Masculinity, and Leisure Culture in Trinidad
ES student/mentee aya trussell and sebastian Montero-Quemado, and ES faculty member/mentor Ryan buyco, june 2025 (Photo from cal poly OUDI)
Ethnic Studies Minor student Aya Trussell, ES Major Sebastian Montero-Quemado, and Ethnic Studies Assistant Professor Dr. Ryan Buyco recently completed their BEACoN Research project titled, "Pacific Detours: Toward a Decolonial Approach to Travel Writing".
Abstract: Travel writing– a genre that narrates a subjective experience of a journey–has played a historical role in legitimizing the western colonial project. Asian American and Pacific Islander studies scholars have been using travel writing to teach readers about the ongoing circumstances of colonialism, U.S. militarism, and Indigenous resurgence in places including Hawai‘i and Okinawa. We will explore the emergent form of decolonial travel writing and work on constructing our own in the process. While travel writing has a problematic history, it can also cultivate decolonial forms of relationality, guiding readers to rethink their relationships to the places they travel.
Link to Cal Poly OUDI Page - Trussell, Montero-Quemado, Buyco
Graphic Communication Major Keilana Calder, Ethnic Studies Minor student Mercy R. Torres, and Ethnic Studies Assistant Professor Dr. Dan Castilow completed their BEACoN Research project titled, "The Anatomy of a Good Lime- Exploring Race, Masculinity, and Leisure Culture in Trinidad".
ES student/mentee Keilana Calder and Mercy Torres, june 2025 (Photo from cal poly OUDI)
Abstract: The Anatomy of a Good Lime is a three-part documentary that explores liming, Trinidad’s informal social gatherings, as a cultural lens to examine race, masculinity, and national identity. Over the past several months, our research has focused on the historical, social, and cultural contexts of liming in preparation for filming in Trinidad this summer. The documentary looks at class differences in liming spaces, the role of rum and soca music, and how gender and fashion shape expressions of masculinity. This project contributes to broader conversations about identity, culture, and leisure in post-colonial societies.
Mentor Dan Castilow and mentee Keilana Calder at the 2025 BEACoN Research Symposium, June 11th 2025
Link to Cal Poly OUDI Page - Calder, Torres, Castilow