Daniel Calzadillas-Rodriguez

Professional Bio

Daniel Calzadillas-Rodriguez is a PhD candidate in philosophy at The Pennsylvania State University. He focuses on the intersections between phenomenology and social and political philosophy with an emphasis on 20th century Mexican philosophy.

His dissertation teases out the distinctive approach to death developed within Mexican phenomenology and existentialism. By rethinking themes such as historicity, being, and authenticity, it argues that these reflections offer original contributions to philosophy more broadly. The project concludes by offering conceptual resources for confronting the violence of the contemporary narcotrafficking crisis that inflicts both sides of the US-Mexico border.

Daniel’s other research examines the boundaries of liberalism regarding noncitizens. His interest is in how contested definitions of citizenship and democracy can be invoked to justify the coercion of legal subjects such as the “illegal immigrant.” He also investigates the race-making functions of the US immigration legal system.