Global Studies and the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese are thrilled to announce the arrival of Mauricio Herrera Acuña, one of six postdoctoral fellows in the university's new Rising Scholar program. Professor Acuña is an anthropologist and scholar of Afro-Latin American Studies, focusing on the literatures and cultures of the African Diaspora in the Americas, especially Brazil and Cuba. His research interests includes World Festivals of Black Arts, poetry, fiction, performances and the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira. In his next two years at UVA, Mauricio will be teaching three courses in Global Studies and SIP on themes like “Black Global Festivals: Literature and Performance,” “Images of Afro-Latin American Worlds,” and “Exuzilhar: Crossroads in Afro-Diasporic Cinema.” Students in these courses will engage with artists and create performances, as well as curate images for a visual exhibition. Students interested in learning about African diasporic art, history, and cultural productions in the Global South are encouraged to contact Mauricio now to start planning their schedules. You can see some of his work with visual arts, and get a sense of what you can do in class, on his blog.

Welcome, Mauricio! We're so excited you're here.