I am Leslie Robertson Toney. I’m a Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, with a concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies at Virginia Tech. My main research focuses on Caribbean society: gender relations, political economy, social and class interaction in a post-colonial space. I am particularly interested in how young women and girls engage with society, make meaning, their experiences of inequality, and how they shape society. My dissertation focuses on the sexual agency of adolescent girls in the Caribbean using Trinidad and Tobago as a case study.
I am also a trained psychotherapist and practiced for many years as a direct care clinician, mental health policy officer, and consultant both in the US and internationally.
Finally, for over 12 years I have been a photographer. In my study of the Caribbean, I integrate over a decade of work on cultural festivals and rituals particularly carnival, and traditional religious and cultural practices. My portfolio can be found here. A scholarly talk for my recent exhibit focusing on rituals of resistance in Trinidad and Tobago carnival can be found here.