Kirsten Francescone

Dr. Kirsten Francescone is an anthropologist whose research sits at the intersection of political economy, human rights, and critical development studies, with a regional focus on Latin America. She has more than a decade of academic and professional experience examining the impacts of extractive industries, particularly mining and agriculture, on Indigenous peoples, women, and working-class communities. 

Her work is grounded in engaged anthropology and oriented toward post-capitalist and just ecological futures. Professor Francescone's current collaborative project explores women-led Indigenous agroecological movements in southern Ecuador as alternatives to extractivism. Her SSHRC-funded doctoral research examined life and labour in Bolivia’s Cerro Rico de Potosí, documenting gendered exploitation under changing mining regimes. 

Before joining Trent University in 2023, Prof. Francescone served as the Latin America program coordinator and co-manager at MiningWatch Canada, where she focused on international human rights advocacy and Canada’s responsibilities as a home state for corporate investment abroad.