University of Michigan Latina/o Studies

Where are they now?
Say hello to Cristina Faiver-Serna, Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies & Geography at the University of New Hampshire. She believes that we need American and ethnic studies now more than ever. Read more below!

Where are they now?
Meet Christina Abreu, Director of the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies and Associate Professor of History at Northern Illinois University. Her recent work focuses on boxing champion Teófilo Stevenson. Read more below!

With a legendary juror, ‘Trabajadores’ show connects art, labor, Latino identity. From construction sites to canvas, a Detroit exhibition brings Latino workers into the spotlight.

"Trabajadores" opened Friday, May 1, at La Galería in Southwest Detroit, showcasing Latino workers and artists with 94-year-old painter Nora Chapa Mendoza as juror. She is a 2024 Kresge Eminent Artist and her work on migrant laborers and Chicano identity is featured in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

The show runs through May 28 at La Galería, a community art space run by the Mexicantown Community Development Corp. at 2835 Bagley St. in Detroit.

With a legendary juror, ‘Trabajadores’ show connects art, labor, Latino identity 'Trabajadores' opens May 1 in Southwest Detroit, celebrating Latino workers with 94-year-old Kresge artist Nora Chapa Mendoza as juror.

No English needed: How Bad Bunny reshaped the US pop mainstream Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known to the world as Bad Bunny, did not just climb the charts; he bypassed the entire industry machine. Moving from bagging groceries in Puerto Rico to becoming a global icon, he proved you do not need to sing in English to own the stage—a feat anchored by his his...

LACS Virtual Residency Program Connects U-M and UPR.

Four faculty members from UPR join the 2026 University of Michigan Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (LACS) Virtual Residency Program.

https://ii.umich.edu/lacs/news-events/news/search-news/virtual-residency-program.html

Ecuador Classroom in the Clouds. A ‘pedagogy of love’ rewires the lesson, students are taking note. Story by Fernanda Pires. Images by Janis Carrion-Paute and Fernanda Pires. Video by Janis Carrion-Paute and Rafaella Terán.

ECUADOR—Nearly two miles up in the Andes, a rural high school turns its surrounding forest and mountain ridges into a living classroom. Beside a volcano, University of Michigan students walk with local educators and Indigenous youth to see what a typical school day looks like in this remote community near Otavalo.

The 24 U‑M undergraduates traveled to Otavalo and Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, as part of a 3‑credit course examining how schools navigate cultural and economic realities. They are pursuing different majors, though many were drawn by an interest in education.

Working alongside Ecuadorian students, the group explores how Indigenous traditions and global education models intersect in everyday classroom practice.

For continuation, see here: https://news.umich.edu/ecuador-classroom-in-the-clouds-a-pedagogy-of-love-rewires-the-lesson-students-are-taking-note/

Where are they now?
Say hello to John R. Chávez, Professor Emeritus of History at Southern Methodist University. He notes that the AMCULT program helped him view cultures within a global framework of shared humanity, something that has influenced him ever since. Read more below!

The School of Social Work at the University of Michigan and VOCES: Southwest Detroit History recently collaborated to hold oral history workshops at the school in Ann Arbor and in Southwest Detroit.

Starting with a three-part workshop series at Congress of Communities in late January and early February a concerted effort has been made to elevate the VOCES Collective’s efforts in documenting Southwest Detroit’s Latino rich history that dates back over 100 years.

U of M and VOCES Collaborate on Oral History Project Southwest Detroit Latino history comes alive through oral history workshops preserving 100+ years of culture, stories, and identity

Where are they now?
Meet Sergio Gael Barrera, an Assistant Professor at San José State University. His current research examines Latino men's relationship to barbers, barbershops, hair, and masculinities. Read more below.

Thank you to Professor Alex Chávez (University of Notre Dame) and Professor Sandy Placido (Rutgers University–Newark) for their powerful and thought-provoking Latina/o Studies guest lectures.

We’re grateful for Professor Chavez’s insights in "The Afterlives of Sound: Memory, Ethnography, and the Borderlands", and for Professor Plácido’s historical and personal discussion in "Writing Ana Livia Cordero: The Collective Construction of History". Both talks sparked meaningful conversations around memory, history, sound, and the collective work of preservation. We also extend our sincere thanks to the family of Ana Livia Cordero for being in attendance and contributing to this important moment of collective remembrance.

We’re thankful to everyone who joined us and look forward to continuing the Latina/o Studies Speaker Series with more conversations this semester!