Biography

Cecelia Alfonso-Stokes is a doctoral dissertator in the Department of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she works in Latinx cultural and literary studies, affect theory, and contemporary American media culture.

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Biography

Cecelia Alfonso-Stokes is a third-generation Cuban-American scholar whose work sits at the intersection of Latinx/Chicanx studies, affect theory, and American literary and cultural history. Her research centers on second- and later-generation Latines in the United States, a population she argues has been systematically underexamined both in political discourse and in academic scholarship. She brings an interdisciplinary approach to this inquiry, reading novels, superhero comics, film, television, and young adult fiction alongside the social and political contexts in which they are produced and received.

Before coming to Wisconsin, Cecelia completed her Master of Arts in English Literature at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2021), where she began the work of thinking through Latinx representation in contemporary American culture. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies from North Greenville University in 2014.

At UW-Madison, Cecelia has built an extensive record as an educator and pedagogical leader. She currently serves as Assistant Director of Literature TA Training in the Department of English, a role in which she designs orientation programming, develops lessons for new instructors, and leads a semester-long seminar for teaching assistants. She has taught courses in African Feminisms, Planetary Humanities, Social Media Writing, and Comparative U.S. and American Indian Studies, and has served as both English Course Coordinator and Graduate Teaching Assistant across multiple departments.

Her public scholarship includes work with Holding History, a student-driven public humanities program at UW-Madison focused on the history of media and book arts, where she manages social media, produces educational podcasts, and coordinates public events. She is also a recurring guest on the Marvel Cinematic University podcast, where she brings her scholarly expertise in popular culture and media to public audiences.

Cecelia received the Herschel and Cornelia Everett First Year Master's Fellowship and has been recognized by Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities on multiple occasions. Her undergraduate work earned her the Bielecki-Willard Interdisciplinary Studies Award for Student of the Year (2013-2014).

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Research Interests