Lectures

Américo Paredes Distinguished Lecture

For many years, the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) has sponsored the Américo Paredes Distinguished Lecture Series, which brings a prominent speaker from beyond The University of Texas at Austin to address the public on a timely topic in Mexican American Studies.

Américo Paredes was a musician, scholar, and folklorist from Brownsville, Texas. Prior to death on Cinco de Mayo of 1999, Dr. Paredes was the Dickson, Allen, and Anderson Centennial Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and English at The University of Texas at Austin.  Among the numerous honors that marked his career are the Charles Frankel Prize from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Orden del Águila Azteca – Mexico’s highest award given to the citizen’s of other countries. Dr. Paredes’ scholarship on the culture of the people of Greater Mexico helped lay the foundation of our understanding of the people of the Lower Rio Grande Border, and inspired an entire generation of Mexican American Scholars.

Jovita González Memorial Lecture in the Arts and Humanities and
George I. Sánchez Memorial Lecture in the Social Sciences and Education

Upon the recommendation of a committee of faculty associates, CMAS has inaugurated two new lecture series directed at faculty from The University of Texas at Austin with some emphasis on the junior ranks. In keeping with honoring those who have historically contributed to Mexican American Studies at UT Austin, CMAS is pleased to announce the Jovita González Memorial Lecture in the Arts and Humanities and the George I. Sánchez Memorial Lecture in the Social Sciences and Education.

Jovita González (de Mireles) was a folklorist, historian, writer, and teacher from Roma, Texas, and a pioneer in collecting Mexican folklore in the Rio Grande valley.  She was one of the first Texas Mexicans to obtain a master's degree and work as a professor.

George I. Sánchez was a writer, educator, and civil rights advocate from Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a member of the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, he fought against standardized tests, segregation based on non-proficiency in English, and other discrimination against Hispanic schoolchildren.

Whenever possible, the González and Sánchez lectures will be presented by CMAS faculty associates who are either in their first year of service at the University or who have been recently promoted to tenure or full professor. These two lecture series will be a way to honor faculty while encouraging the further development of their research and mobility through the faculty ranks.

Please contact Luis Guevara (512-475-6769, lvg@mail.utexas.edu) for more information about the lectureship series sponsored by CMAS.