Maria Torres, University College Cork (Ireland)

Maria Torres, University College Cork (Ireland)

Maria Torres is an indigenous lawyer and master’s student in University College Cork (MRes Government and Public Policy), who serves as a parliamentary adviser at the Commission for Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian Peoples, Environment and Ecology at the Congress of the Republic of Peru. She is a political activist for indigenous peoples’ rights and has advocated for reclaiming indigenous identity in Peru. Last year, she ran for Congress in Peru, leading a campaign based on making people aware about the importance of reclaiming indigenous identity. Her master’s research focuses on the relationship between indigenous self-identification and the political support that a person who reclaims this identity could give to indigenous peoples’ demands for self-determination.