Paola Vargas Arana

My academic background is in anthropology, with a PhD in early modern history. My research explores the reconfiguration of African knowledge in the Americas, particularly the past and present contributions of maroon communities to food sovereignty. To this end, analysing the waves of the slave trade has been essential to tracing the cultural origins of these populations and connecting them to their expressions in the Americas. Thus, my work integrates a broader understanding of African cultures and epistemologies, with a special focus on the roles of African women in knowledge systems. 

Combining ethnographic and archival research, I emphasize how historical perspectives can illuminate contemporary challenges and inform pathways to meaningful solutions.

Leadership and Project Management 

Across my research career, I have led and managed a series of internationally funded projects, assuming responsibility from grant conception through to implementation and final reporting. This includes preparing applications and budgets, designing and disseminating calls, selecting and interviewing participants, contracting event logistics and catering, overseeing team meetings, supporting BAME undergraduate research (KURF, King’s College), and preparing comprehensive project reports. I have chaired the Reparations Panel at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), curated the British Academy Summary Showcase, and co-led a number of research and mentoring initiatives in the UK, Latin America, and West Africa.

Current roles

• I am a Research Associate on the project 'Inequality and Crisis in West African Economic Thought', led by Dr Gerardo Serra.
• Co-organiser, ‘Histories of African Economic Thought’ conference (University of Manchester, 18–19 June 2026) and co-editor of the resulting volume.

Recently completed projects

• Co-organiser of a British Academy International Writing Workshop aimed at the academic advancement of early-career women from West African universities.
• Associate director of a British Library Endangered Archives Project in Colombia, which is digitising and making available online a collection relating to the transatlantic slave trade of Africans.

I am excited to announce the upcoming publication of my first book, entitled "African Memories, Foodways and Freedom in Colonial Colombia's Gold Mines, Gender, Identities, and Intercultural Worlds in Antioquia", The British Academy and Liverpool University Press.

Recent policy and academic blog articles

• ‘How Census Categories Create Inequality: Lessons from the Colombian Undercount’, Global Policy Blog, 25 November 2025. https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/25/11/2025/how-census-categories-create-inequality-lessons-colombian-undercount

• ‘Slavery, Tax Evasion, Resistance’, The Conversation, January 2025. https://theconversation.com/slavery-tax-evasion-resistance-the-story-of-11-africans-in-south-americas-gold-mines-in-the-1500s-245370

I have held two postdoctoral fellowships: a British Academy Newton International Fellowship at King's College London and a fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh. Additionally, I have been a visiting researcher at the Centre of History, University of Lisbon.