Joanne Rappaport se zabývá antropologií a studiem španělštiny a portugalštiny. Její práce se zaměřuje na veřejné intelektuály, kulturní experimentování a etnický pluralismus, zejména v kontextu Kolumbie. Prostřednictvím svých studií zkoumá, jak tyto prvky formují společnost a kulturu.
Looking at what it meant to be mestizo (of mixed parentage) in early colonial Spanish America, Joanne Rappaport finds fluid identification processes rooted in an epistemology entirely distinct from modern racial discourses.
Focusing on the indigenous movement in Cauca, Colombia, the book examines the roles of various participants, including indigenous people, non-indigenous allies, scholars, and shamans, in shaping a redefined sense of Colombian nationhood. It highlights the collaborative efforts and cultural exchanges that contribute to a broader understanding of identity and belonging within the nation.