Antonio Torres-Ruiz

Antonio Torres-Ruiz (M.A. in Public Policy and PhD. in Political Science from the University of Toronto (UofT)) is a Senior Lecturer, in the Department of Global Development Studies at UofT. He studied International Relations and Economics at El Colegio de México (COLMEX) and the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), respectively, and has taught in both institutions. He was full-time faculty for four years in the Equity Studies Department at York University. A significant part of his transdisciplinary research work deals with democratization, comparative studies, human rights, identity politics, global political economy and HIV/AIDS, sustainable human development, and globalization, with a special geographic focus on the Americas. His published contributions include articles and book reviews for several academic journals such as Latin American Research Review (U.S.), International Journal (Canada), Historia, Ciencias, Saude (Brazil), Journal of Latin American Studies (U.K.), Latin American Politics and Society (U.S.), Working Papers Series, CIDE (Mexico), and Crítica Contemporánea (Uruguay). He also co-authored a book chapter and co-edited a volume on contentious politics in North America with the late UofT professor Stephen Clarkson and contributed with a chapter on The NGOization of HIV/AIDS activism in Mexico to the three-volume analysis titled Global HIV/AIDS Politics, Policy, and Activism: Persistent Challenges and Emerging Issues, edited by Raymond Smith (Columbia University), published by Praeger. He single-authored a book on The Political Economy of HIV/AIDS in Mexico, by Common Ground Research Networks, University of Illinois Research Park (May 2018). Three of his most recent projects are: a) A Critique of Political Science as a Discipline, with a special focus on the ontology and genealogy of democracy, the human rights discourse, and populism, b) A Ford Foundation-supported project on Afro-descendants and Participatory Action Research in Cuba and Mexico, and c) A Transdisciplinary Collaboration on the Opportunities and Challenges faced by Mexican and Canadian Afro-descendant and Indigenous Populations in the Use/Appropriation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for educational practices and cultural expressions. He is a Certified Mentor on Community Based Research (CBR), by the UNESCO Chair in CBR and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, and a member of its Knowledge for Change (K4C) Network (https://www.unescochair-cbrsr.org/k4c-2), as well as an active member of the Living Knowledge Network (University of Groningen (https://livingknowledge.org/). Antonio is a Board Member of the Mexican CSO Magtayaní, A.C. (https://www.magtayani.org) and of Tribal Crackling Wind, an interdisciplinary performing arts company based in Toronto (https://www.tribalcracklingwind.ca/contact).
Supervisors: Judith Teichman and Stephen Clarkson
Address: Toronto, Ontario, Canada