Ana Karen Reyes-Bailon

Profile

Before coming to Leeds in 2019 to pursue my MA in Childhood Studies, I studied BEd Preschool Education in Mexico. I was a preschool teacher working with children aged 3 to 6 in different contexts. During this time I was able to observe children’s cultures, interests and worries even at a young age. At the same time, it was interesting how little was spoken about children’s culture at this age in Mexico, where mostly everything is focused on learning, and socio-emotional education was a newly added complement to their education.

My PhD research project starts from my interest in Corsaro's research on children's culture and aims to build on his contributions. My research will see ‘children's culture’ as an entity itself, that is, with different ontological assumptions. In this case considering that culture is developed among the entanglements and intra-actions of humans and more-than-humans.

Research interests

Through my professional experience, I witnessed how living in a country where violence is an everyday experience for many, can affect the way we perceive it and children can develop anti-social behaviours from it and become indifferent to it. These experiences helped me to develop my research interest in community violence, the impact of community violence on children’s lives and cultures.

This involves recognising the power of children and repurposing their voices to construct policies and curriculums that address the problem and help build healthier and safer cultures and contexts. I am also interested in involving children in the methodological process of research and in creative methods that call for working with them, rather than just observing them. 

I have research experience, both during my BEd and MA, and independent experience as a research collaborator while volunteering with Latin American Bureau.

My research interests include:

• Children’s culture
• Social justice and social policy
• Children’s rights
• Creative methods and ethnography
• Post-humanism
• Latin America

Qualifications

• MA Childhood Studies at University of Leeds.
• BEd Preschool Education at IByCENECH, Chihuahua, Mexico.