BIOGRAPHY

Rodrigo Ferreira has a B.A. in Philosophy (with Honors) and Psychology, a M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought, and a Ph.D. in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University.
 
Rodrigo’s research focuses on the social and ethical transformations currently taking place in different political cultures as a result of the increasing globalization of digital networks. His dissertation, Radical Trust: Digital Media and Democracy in Mexico, describes the emergence of new democratic practices and forms of political organization in Mexico throughout the ongoing  process of decentralization of public trust away from Mexican social institutions – government agencies, banks, and news media – toward privately-owned peer-to-peer platforms – “sharing” economies, social media, and crypto exchanges. Rodrigo is also actively translating the work of late Mexican-Ecuadorian philosopher and cultural critic Bolivar Echeverría, the first full-length manuscript of which has been published as Modernity and“Whiteness” (Polity 2019).
 
At Rice University, Rodrigo will be working on a new university-wide initiative on Technology, Culture, and Society that will address the impact of technology on culture and society through an academic program based on research, education, and community outreach. As a part of this new initiative, Rodrigo will be designing the curriculum for and teaching a new undergraduate course on Data and Information Ethics.
 
Aside from his academic research, Rodrigo greatly enjoys traveling (especially backpacking), film and literature (particularly science fiction), and attending all kinds of music shows and festivals.