Isabella Maganda Garcia Bernstein

Isabella Maganda Garcia Bernstein is a Filipino American doctoral student in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese at Yale University, where they specialize in 19th and 20th century hispanofilipino literature and culture. Isabella is a recipient of Yale’s Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration (RITM) and Richard J. Franke fellowships. Their research focuses on the colonial portrayal of the Philippines and the geopolitical notion of “Hispanic Asia” across urban contexts of Manila, Hong Kong, Havana, Madrid, and Barcelona. With interests in the sociology of the novel and translation studies in Global Iberia, Isabella is eager to explore gendered conceptualizations of orientalism and mestizaje. Other research interests include tropical gothic literature, journalism, Philippine national identity, transnational migration, and Catalan Studies. Isabella is passionate about fostering educational empowerment and multicultural literacy.

 

Prior to coming to Yale, Isabella graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) with a B.A. in Archaeological Anthropology and Hispanic Studies with a Catalan Studies specialization. They also studied Catalan Philology at the University of Barcelona. They are the founder of the Paglaban Pilipino Literature Project, an open access literary depository and collective that seeks to provide educational resources to Filipino youth. This project has been supported by NYU’s Sulo Philippine Studies Initiative, the Laidlaw Foundation, the Filipino American National Historical Society, and the Weatherhead East Asian Institute. While completing this project, Isabella was named the first undergraduate scholar in residence at NYU’s KJCC. Due to their work on this project, the Filipino American National Historical Society Metro New York Chapter selected them to receive the Distinguished Young Professional Award in 2024. In addition to their research in Hispanic Studies, Isabella served as the caretaker and principal investigator for the recataloging and recontextualization of the Bais Anthropological Project III (1979-1982), a collection of lithic stone and ceramics excavated during martial law Philippines housed at the Columbia Center for Archaeology. They are currently working towards the ethical and historically conscious repatriation of these items.