Alyssa Farinha-Amorim is an MA student in Concordia University’s Social and Cultural Anthropology program.

Under the supervision of Dr. Nayrouz Abu Hatoum (Sociology and Anthropology), Alyssa’s current research investigates how festas—annual celebrations tied to religious processions—function as cultural symbols of a collective desire for self-representation among the Portuguese diaspora of Montreal. Her research also considers how azulejos—hand-painted ceramic tiles—act as visual markers of Portuguese migration in the city’s urban landscape. By creating an analog photo album alongside her written thesis, she intends to address themes of memory and lived/imagined histories that fuel the practice of festas through the medium’s tactility.

Alyssa holds a BA with Honours in Anthropology and a Major in Communication and Cultural Studies from Concordia University. Her undergraduate thesis, titled Box Offices of the Boroughs: A Study of Montreal Movie Theatres and the Communities They Create, examined Montreal movie theatres as agents of community building by studying audience behaviour in independent and chain cinemas.

Alyssa was born in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) and her MA research is largely inspired by her experiences as a second-generation Canadian from an Azorean-Madeiran family within the Portuguese diaspora.