Joanne Rappaport sa zaoberá antropológiou a štúdiami španielčiny a portugalčiny. Jej práca sa zameriava na verejných intelektuálov, kultúrne experimentovanie a etnický pluralizmus, najmä v kontexte Kolumbie. Prostredníctvom svojich štúdií skúma, ako tieto prvky formujú spoločnosť a kultúru.
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.