Assistant Professor Aldo V. Guevara Garcia

B.A., University of North Carolina at Ashville, 1999.

M.A., University of Texas at Austin, 2002.

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 2007.

Area of Specialization: Latin American History, Native American History

 I have taken a peripatetic path through academia.  My educational sojourns have included stays at places large (The University of Texas at Austin) and small (Brandeis University), north (Cornell University) and south (The University of North Carolina at Asheville) and of course public and private.  Along the way I have at times majored or minored in fine arts, architecture, economics, education, and finally history.  I have been inspired by great professors across the disciplines and fellow students at all these schools, and people in the many towns and cities.  I believe in challenging students, helping them see the world and their lives in new ways, and to helping find their voice, supported by historical evidence.

 My research focuses on dictatorships and popular action in El Salvador in the 20^th Century.  I have looked at how the Salvadoran military government sought to control its citizens through the courts, police and the media, and how people challenged these institutions in their daily lives.  I also look at how states demonize some groups (like criminals and Communists) and praise and support others (like business leaders and pliant peasants).  This research has led me to examine other repressive governments in Latin America and throughout the world and the ways that people have challenged them, from armed Revolution to Liberation Theology to peaceful demonstrations.  I also look at how individuals’ class, sex, ethnicity, race, gender expression, religious affiliation, etc affect their roles and understandings of these negotiations.

Dissertation title:  "Justice and Social Control in a Military Dictatorship:  El Salvador, 1932-1972."