Bio
Rebecca Valeriano-Flores (b. 1986, California) is a musician and philosopher living in Bloomington, Indiana. She is currently working on her doctoral dissertation in philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, where her research is on critical phenomenology. Her most active and recent band is Negative Scanner, who have released two full-length albums on Trouble in Mind Records. Though rooted in Chicago’s DIY punk scene, Negative Scanner has toured throughout the US and Europe, playing with the likes of Sleaford Mods, Sheer Mag, and Protomartyr.
Education
PhD, Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago (expected 2024)
MA, Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago (2019)
BA, Philosophy, DePaul University (2017)
Current Practice
My creative work, whether it’s my dissertation or my music, explores the inescapability of suffering. In my dissertation, I explore the experiences of people at the crossroads of mass incarceration and psychiatric institutions. In my music and creative writing, I express my own anger, frustration, and desperation over experiences of racism, misogyny, abuse, poverty, illness, and loss. I believe that the inescapability of suffering does not mean we’re doomed to a world devoid of joy—I strive to find joy, resistance, kindness, and solidarity in everyday experience. In addition to my creative work, I am part of a research collective of people impacted by sexual assault and abuse working toward prison abolition through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing.