Mariana Valdebenito Mac Farlane, MA

Political Philosophy

Mariana Valdebenito Mac Farlane

PhD Candidate in Humanities and Social Sciences

GCAS College Dublin- The Global Centre for Advanced Studies

Santiago de Chile, Chile

Biography

Mariana Valdebenito Mac Farlane is a PhD researcher at GCAS College Dublin whose work explores LGBTTTQANB+ Political Consent. With a background that bridges philosophy and the sciences, she offers an interdisciplinary lens on contemporary challenges, informed by critical theory and a sustained engagement with socio-political realities. Her research navigates both local and global terrains, positioning her within the complexity of the present, where diverse epistemologies intersect to address pressing societal issues with analytical rigor and transformative vision.

She holds a degree in Philosophy and a BA in Education from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, as well as a Master’s in Political Philosophy from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile. Her graduate work focused on the formation of political consent through Latin American biopolitical frameworks, with particular attention to regimes of veridiction as analytical tools for understanding power relations shaped by gender, race, and class in the Global South.

Alongside her doctoral research, Mariana has developed a career in higher education centered on cross-disciplinary teaching, feminist and posthumanist theory, and applied inquiry. She has served as lecturer, academic coordinator, and specialist in institutional accreditation at Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, while also leading graduate-level courses and master classes in gender studies, political philosophy, and critical theory. Her work spans the design and implementation of gender-based interventions in both educational and community settings, coordination of collaborative research on public policy and mental health, and peer review of academic publications and grant proposals. Mariana’s academic practice is grounded in territorial engagement and collective knowledge production, drawing from her expertise in philosophy, pedagogy, and technology to bridge theory and praxis across diverse institutional, cultural, and social contexts.

Research Interests

  • Biopolitics and Tecno-Bio-Politics

  • Gender Studies

  • Anticolonialism

  • Posthumanism

Selected Activities

  • Masterclass Presenter, inaugural class of the Diploma in Gender and Sciences, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins.

  • Guess Professor, Croatia Libori Summer School, University of Zadar.

  • Academic researcher, FONDECYT Project (project funded by the Chilean State through ANID), "The Latin American Reception of Biopolitics", Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano.

Research Supervisor Jane Anna Gordon, PhD

Outside GCAS

Beyond all her academic and professional commitments, Mariana recharges by going to the gym, which helps her build the strength needed to face her demanding work, and by spending meaningful time with her interspecies community. Deeply engaged in activism for sexual dissidences, she believes that real change grows from empathy, solidarity, and shared joy.

Link to CV: CV ESP 2025.docx

Link to LinkedIn