Lecture

The State of Latin American History: Blue Skies, Ominous Clouds on the Horizon

94 George Street

Providence, RI 02906

In this talk Walker examines current tendencies in Latin American history, specifically a welcome diversity in approaches. At this point, no paradigm dominates and rich studies in political, environmental, social, gender, and even military history stand out. Walker also underlines the advantages of the strong relationship that scholars in the United States have created with Latin American historians. The ominous clouds refer to the job market and the increasing number of excellent history PhDs who struggle to find a tenure-track job, an issue that needs to be discussed and addressed.

Charles Walker is the MacArthur Foundation Endowed Chair in International Human Rights at UC Davis, where he is a professor of history and the director of the Hemispheric Institute on the Americas. His publications include The Tupac Amaru Rebellion; Shaky Colonialism: The 1746 Earthquake Tsunami in Lima, Peru and its Long Aftermath; and Smoldering Ashes. He is currently writing on violence and the Shining Path. More can be found here: charlesfwalker.com