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Dr. Ryan Alexander


Associate Professor of History
Department Chair

My first foray into Latin America occurred during a study abroad semester in Cuba. The island, a place that generates so much controversy, was full of surprises. My time there widened my perspective and opened my eyes to the overwhelming complexity of issues that often seem simple and one-sided. I try to provide my students with a forum for similar types of intellectual discovery. In graduate school, I moved to studying Mexico, a country that has a rich history and remains vitally important to U.S. culture and political discourse today. My biggest goal as a teacher is to provide my students something useful to their intellectual development. While anyone can memorize names and dates, I believe that history can do much more when students engage it fully. I want my classes to spark students’ curiosity and make them more critical thinkers and better communicators.

My research interests are eclectic. My first book project examines generational change within Mexico’s authoritarian political system during the twentieth century, while my current research looks at disease epidemics during the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920. In addition, I have written articles on topics ranging from political violence to popular memory to circus culture. All of my past and current projects revolve around biographical subjects. What the very different individuals I study all have in common is that each can provide a portal on a given historical context. Starting with such interesting personalities makes researching and writing history fun, and ultimately their lives unlock some of the big questions that historians confront.

  • Education
    • Ph.D. University of Arizona, Latin American History (2011)
    • M.A. University of Arizona, Latin American History (2007)
    • B.A. Willamette University, History (2005)
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