My research explores ways in which everyday people engage with economic and political globalization and how gender shapes experiences of work, political organizing, and transnational migration. Throughout my academic career I have pursued an interest in the politics and social conditions of Latin American societies and Latinos/as in the United States. My current research examines recent transnational migration to Williamsburg, VA, the barriers that migrants face in gaining full social membership, and the ways in which the larger community has responded to the arrival of these newcomers. Another theme of my current work is the problems and possibilities of community-based or activist research methodologies.