Dr Gabriela Patricia Garcia Garcia

I am a Lecturer in Security Studies and IR at the University of Exeter since June 2022. My research focusses on the securitisation of (forced) migration. In particular, I analyse governmental-led security practices and discourses, and the lived experiences of security scripts on refugee and migrant populations, including its gendered, racialised and colonial dimensions. More recently, I have begun exploring decolonial understandings of inclusion and ‘diversity’ and participatory and visual methods.

Prior to joining Exeter, I held several Research Fellow/Associate positions at the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Southampton, and University College Dublin. I have also developed an interdisciplinary teaching portfolio covering IR, Politics, Qualitative Methods and Latin American Studies.

I hold a PhD in Politics and International Relations (University of Aberdeen, 2021), an MSc in International Relations (University of Glasgow, 2014), and a BA Hons in Law (Universidad de Especialidades Espiritu Santo, UEES, 2012).

Besides my academic background, I have practised immigration and asylum law in South America and have worked in the development and humanitarian sector.