Specialization

Race and nation  
Gender and sexualities

Education

M. A. in English and creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University; personal essay collection thesis

M. A. in liberal studies with a concentration in anthropology from University of Michigan-Dearborn; multiple ethnographic projects, including one at Occupy Detroit

B. A. in cultural anthropology

Bio

Kat Amador del Valle (Jiménez) is a feminist scholar whose work bridges the humanities and social sciences, exploring the intersections of gender, sexuality, spirituality, and digital culture. Her research examines the archetype of the witch across time and place, with a particular focus on literature, film, media, and contemporary digital spaces like #WitchTok. She explores how bruja feminism—a movement reclaiming the figure of the witch as a site of resistance, healing, and ancestral power—shapes modern witchcraft communities, particularly among U.S. witches of color, as well as the archetype of the witch. She also investigates the reception of ancient mythologies in these communities and the evolving role of masculinity in witchcraft, particularly through the figure of el brujo.

Her work engages with the magico-religious tradition of Sanse (Puerto Rican Vodou) and Afro-diasporic religiosity in Puerto Rico, situating these practices within the broader context of neocolonialism and resistance. Additional research interests include feminist phenomenology, feminist ethnography, embodied theory, affect, masculinity and masochism, and the Femdom subculture.

A product of Puerto Rico’s colonial condition, she was born in the mainland U.S., raised on the island, and later displaced by economic pressures exacerbated by the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. Having lived in Nevada, Michigan, New York City, Louisiana, and now California, she deeply understands the ways Puerto Rican identity is shaped by American cultural hegemony both on and off the island. Her scholarship is rooted in the belief that theory should drive praxis, and her ultimate aim is to contribute to a more just, compassionate, and nurturing world. Committed to relational-knowledge creation, her dissertation seeks to engage both academic and non-academic communities in a shared construction of knowledge.

She holds an M.A. in English and Creative Writing (Literary Nonfiction) from Southern New Hampshire University, where she completed a personal essay collection as her thesis; an M.A. in Liberal Studies (concentration in Anthropology) from the University of Michigan, where she conducted multiple ethnographic projects, including one at Occupy Wall Street; and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Wayne State University.

Research

The archetype of the witch
Brujas
Bruja feminism
El brujo y su masculinidad
Witches of color
Reception of ancient Greek myth and literature and the early modern European construct of the witch among US witches of color
The Anatolian-Greek goddess Hekate among US witches of color
Mesoamerican goddesses in the spiritual practices of US witches of color, Latin American Indigenous religious revival
Afro-diasporic religiosity among US witches of color, and in Puerto Rico
Masculinity and witchcraft
Sanse/vudú puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Vodou)
Digital ritualism
Puerto Rico's neocolonialism
Masculinity and masochism
Femdom subculture
Feminist phenomenology
Feminist ethnography
Embodied theory
Affect