- The history and culture of the Caribbean and Latin America
- Gender studies
- Post-colonial literature and theory
- Cultural studies
- Migration studies
- African diaspora studies
Some of her most notable works include:
- "Writing the Caribbean: Race, Gender, and Imperialism in the Literature of the Antilles" (1997)
- "The Postcolonial Caribbean: Essays in Literature and Culture" (2000)
- "Gendering Afro-Cuban Religion: Between Saintería and Ifá" (2006)
- "Transoceanic Tongues: Caribbean Literature in Translation" (2014)
- "The Afro-Cuban Diaspora in Spain: Narratives of Identity, Belonging, and Return" (2020)
In addition to her academic work, Rega has also written creative nonfiction and fiction, including the novel "The River's Song" (2019).
Rega's work has been translated into several languages and has been widely anthologized. She has received numerous awards and fellowships for her writing, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Ford Foundation Fellowship, and the Fulbright Fellowship.
She is currently Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies at Smith College in Massachusetts.