Immigration and Latinos

Globalization and the rise of transnational communities have compelled the Center to foster the integration of the fields of Latin American Studies and Latino Studies. The Center is building a Latino Studies program that adopts a comparative approach to the study of different Hispanic/Latino groups in the US and that is grounded in the study of the interdependence between the US and Latin America.

In early 2012 the Center received a grant from the Ford Foundation to develop a Program for Immigration, Religion, and Social Change (PIRSC) that will benefit immigrant communities in the U.S. South. In face of the intense pressures and hostility experienced by many new immigrants to the region, and the paucity of social services available to strengthen their neighborhoods and communities, PIRSC seeks to develop effective models of intervention, exchange, and outreach, deploying the resources of the University of Florida to address the urgent needs of immigrant communities. The Center is partnering with faculty in the colleges of Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences and Nursing, and with nongovernmental organizations in the region.

Students enrolled in the MA in Latin American Studies (MALAS) degree program may complete a specialization in Latino Studies. This specialization accounts for approximately half of the courses required for the MALAS degree.

UF faculty members from across campus engage in research and teach on Latinos.

Name	Department	Research Interests
Barradas, Efraín	Latin American Studies / Spanish & Portuguese	Cultural studies, literature
Coady, Maria	Teaching & Learning	ESOL/bilingual education
De Jong, Ester	Teaching & Learning	ESOL/bilingual education
Deere, Carmen Diana	Latin American Studies / Food & Resource Economics	Agricultural development, gender, land policy, rural labor markets
Flocks, Joan	Center for Governmental Responsibility	Agricultural labor, child labor
Hedrick, Tace	English	Chicana/o studies, feminist theory, feminist art history
Hernández-Truyol, Berta	Law	Gender/race, Latinas/os in the law
Jiménez, Reynaldo	Spanish & Portuguese	Literature, Spanish for bilinguals
Malavet, Pedro	Law	Comparative law, critical race theory, LatCrit theory
Mata, Tony	Theatre & Dance	Musical theatre
Ortiz, Paul	History	Oral history, Latino history
Peña, Milagros	Women’s Studies & Gender Research	Women’s studies, social movements, race and ethnic relations
Stacciarini, Jeanne-Marie	Nursing	Psychiatric and mental health nursing
Torres Rivera, Edil	Counselor Education	Multicultural counseling
Vásquez, Manuel	Religion	Religion in Latin America, theory and method, religion among U.S. Latinos
Williams, Philip	Political Science	Religion and politics, democratization, social movements, transnational migration
Zsembik, Barbara	Sociology	Latino sociology, demography of health and aging in minority populations