Dr. Theresa (Isa) Arriola, PhD
Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology

Phone: | (514) 848-2424 ext. 2117 |
Email: | theresa.arriola@concordia.ca |
Availability: |
Office Hours: Every Wednesday, 1:00-3:00 pm via zoom (appointment via email) |
Introduction
Isa Arriola (Chamorro) was born and raised on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Her life's work has centered on exploring the complexities of social life among the Indigenous Chamorro people, as well as the Refaluwasch community in the Marianas and Micronesia more broadly. Her early research interests were sparked by the concern over the staggeringly high rates of suicide throughout Micronesia. This early interest led her to explore the role of the Marianas in the context of United States imperialism and militarism globally. Isa's dissertation research focused on the complex intersections of militarism, indigeneity and the environment in the Northern Mariana Islands amidst the contemporary restructuring of United States forces in the Asia-Pacific region. Her work draws on the intersection of various fields including: Indigenous Studies, Pacific Island Studies, Anthropology and Political Ecology. As an educator, Isa's research is inextricably linked to her personal commitment to decolonization throughout Oceania.
Research & Teaching Interests
Isa's research centers Indigenous perspectives and explores the role of indigeneity in the context of imperialism throughout Oceania. Areas of interest: Indigeneity, Indigenous Peoples, Oceania, Pacific, Militarization, Militarism, Imperialism, Environment, Climate Change
Degrees
PhD, University of California at Los Angeles
MA, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
BA, Brown University
Professional & Community Affiliations
AAA, American Anthropological Association
NAISA, Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
ASAO, Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania
Chair, Our Common Wealth 670 (Saipan, CNMI)
Teaching activities
Assistant Professor
Critical Indigenous Studies
Research activities
Presentations & Workshops
2021, Humanities Guahan Webinar Launch of Unincorporated Magazine
2021 Closing Keynote, Marianas History Conference
2020 Panelist, CNMI Women's Summit (Military build-up)
2019 Panelist, National Humanities Conference
2019 Presentation, AAA Empire: Past is Present
2019 Discussant, Irregular Ecologies Symposium Rachel Carson Center (RCC) for the Environment
2019 Panelist, NAISA Panel: Post Which Human? NAIS and Posthumanism
2018 Presenter, Race and Pedagogy National Conference
Workshops/Symposium:
2018, Irregular Ecologies Symposium, Rachel Carson Center (RCC) for the Environment
2017 Summer Institute on Global Indigeneities (SIGI) Fellow
Current Research Projects
Feminist Participatory Action Research Grant 2020-2022
Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)
Publications
Publications
Arriola, T. (2020). "Securing Nature: Militarization and the Environment in the Northern Mariana Islands," Micronesian Educator. 31.
Arriola, T. (2020). “Scenes from Everyday Life in the Northern Mariana Islands during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Oceania. DOI: 10.1002/ocea.5264