University of Michigan Latina/o Studies

11/05/2026

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!

10/05/2026

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.

'Trabajadores' opens May 1 in Southwest Detroit, celebrating Latino workers with 94-year-old Kresge artist Nora Chapa Mendoza as juror.

08/05/2026

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...

08/05/2026

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

29/04/2026

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/

29/04/2026

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!

27/04/2026

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.

Southwest Detroit Latino history comes alive through oral history workshops preserving 100+ years of culture, stories, and identity

22/04/2026

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.

01/04/2026

Join us tomorrow for our annual Betty Ch'Maj Lecture and Friday for our 90th Anniversary Symposium!

April 2nd at 7PM
We are thrilled to announce that Professor George J. Sánchez will deliver the Ch’maj lecture. Professor Sánchez is a leading scholar of American Studies and Ethnicity as well as History at the University of Southern California where he serves as Vice Dean for Diversity and Strategic Initiatives in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

April 3rd at 10AM
Students, alumni, staff, and faculty will gather for a day of conversation and reflection on 90 years of inventive and experimental work in the study of American cultures. Graduates of our PhD program will return to campus to participate in these Friday panels alongside current graduate students and faculty.

Please join us!

29/01/2026

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!