Former Rutgers Post-Doctoral Fellow Jessica Mack has joined Rowan University as an Assistant Professor of History.   Her work examines the construction of Mexico's national university (UNAM).  Her book analyzes this monumental campus building project and the politics of land surrounding it to shed light on the strategies of Mexico’s one-party rule and the politics of dissent that would soon challenge it. 

Prof. of History Emeritus Mark Wasserman has just published MODERN LATIN AMERICA SINCE 1800: EVERYDAY LIFE AND POLITICS. At 278 pages, it is the most succinct, thorough history of the region and its people.

MODERN LATIN AMERICA includes special features: Latin America Lives, Slice of Life, How Historians Understand, and Nature’s Way. Priced at $34.95, it is less than half the cost of its competitors.

eBook ISBN; 978-3-030-96185-5

Print ISBN; 978-3-030-96184-8

“Modern Latin America…Covering the sweep of Latin American f the everyday experiences of the people who made it. Modern Latin America tells the story of the forces that shaped the region and how people from various walks of life negotiated the changing dynamics of race, class, gender, political conflict and power to create the societies of today. Integrating current scholarship, the book covers the major themes and events of Latin American history while breaking away from the dry history of states and institutions to provide a window on the dynamics of how people shaped, were impacted by, and lived their history.”

Paul Hart, Professor of History and Director of the Center for International Studies, Texas State University

“Modern Latin America… is an engaging account that effectively weaves the economic, cultural, social, and political histories of the region. Wasserman has a keen eye, recognizing the challenges that Latin America’s diverse population have confronted over the centuries. “Nature’s Way” one of the special features in each chapter, is a welcome addition at a time when disease and climate change surround us.”

Sandra Mendiola García, Associate Professor of History, University of North Texas

“The strength of Modern Latin America resides in Wasserman’s ability to present to students in jargon-free language a balanced interpretation of Latin American history, one that seamlessly integrates a discussion of political economy with an astute and sympathetic rendering of “everyday life” from the perspective of los de abajo. Narrative portals in each chapter help the students to understand the prcess of historical inquiry and to grasp a deeper sense of the historical context, including a new feature that examines environmental forces. This new edition brings the narrative up to the present and offers the instructor ample opportunity to develop the survey course in any number of possible directions.”

Eric Zolov, Professor of History and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Stony Brook University of the State University of New York

The Rutgers Initiative for the Book is sponsoring a public lecture that might be of interest to you: "Mexico's Workers of Thought: Rethinking Press Freedom and Political Culture Through Printing" with Corinna Zeltsman and response from Marcy Schwartz (Profesor of Spanish, Rutgers).

Corinna Zeltsman (Assistant Professor of History, Princeton University) is the author of the prizewinning Ink under the Fingernails: Printing Politics in Nineteenth-Century Mexico (University of California Press, 2021).

This event will be held on October 12th, 4-6 pm at RU Academic Building, Room 6051. All are invited. 

The SAS Public Humanities Initiative & the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Center for Latin American Studies, and the Art History Department Presents:

"Conquering Self-Representation: The Rise of Amazonian Indigenous Contemporary Art" with Giuliana Borea, an Assistant Professor in Latin American Studies at Newcastle University, and an Affiliated Lecturer of Anthropology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.

This event will be held on Thursday, September 29, 2022, at 5:40 pm 

From Professor Borea: Today Amazonian Indigenous Contemporary Art circulates in art biennials, contemporary art museums and art markets. While we can talk about a boom of indigenous art, which are the processes, actors and arenas that have facilitated this wider circulation and visibility? Which are the aesthetics, politics and agendas that these artworks mobilize? And which are the paradoxes, limits, and potential of the growing attention on Amazonian indigenous art and artists? This presentation explains the Amazonart Project and its impacts. I will offer new curatorial narratives developed through a collaborative methodology with Amazonian artists. I will explore how these artists are dealing with urgent topics, questioning hegemonic structures of power, and proposing alternative futures.

For more information visit the event page.