Johanna is interested in the anthropology of ritual, sorcery, and religiosity and how these become relevant in the context of irregular warfare in Latin America. More broadly, she is interested in examining armed violence and contributing to a more nuanced understanding of those who perpetrate it and live by it.

Johanna has conducted ethnographic work with indigenous communities in Colombia for her BA, providing a critical perspective on Cultural Heritage projects that often overlook how armed conflict affects these communities’ ‘heritage.’ For her MA at Goldsmiths, she worked with Latin American activists in London, investigating how their migratory experiences shape their understanding of political action. This work, involving close collaboration with people who have borne the brunt of Colombian civil conflict—such as indigenous groups and refugees—ignited her interest in the social dynamics of irregular armed groups, which play a central role in this conflict.

Johanna completed her doctoral studies at University College London, supported by the ESRC. Her dissertation, "Supernatural Bulletproof Men: An Ethnography of Sorcery and Paramilitary Power in the Colombian Eastern Plains," is based on 14 months of fieldwork in a Colombian region deeply affected by armed conflict. The thesis examines a form of sorcery used within paramilitary groups, endowing them with supernatural abilities to defy bullets and surpass human limitations. This research sheds light on how sorcery intertwines with social, moral, and transcendental aspects of the experiences of violence, revealing the different forms of "inhumanity" unravelling during wartime. Johanna's work offers insight into the ontology of the person at war.

Before joining the LSE Anthropology Department as a Fellow, Johanna conducted postdoctoral research in Mexico as part of the “Trust after Betrayal” programme. This collaborative research, focused on understanding people’s creative resilience in areas of intense armed violence, such as the Sinaloa region, deepened her understanding on violent actors, on this case, in relation to environmental activism.

Johanna has experience teaching university courses on introductory social anthropology and anthropological methods, as well as experience in school settings. Her recent research interests include indoctrination, war trauma, military cultures and the fundamentals of hope.