UF Center for Latin American Studies
Dr. López Maya’s research delves into the contemporary socio-historical and sociopolitical processes of Latin America, particularly in Venezuela.
October 10, 2019 | Patricia Alba - Image: Sandra Bracho
GAINESVILLE, FL – The UF Center for Latin American Studies is proud to name Dr. Margarita López Maya as the 2020 Bacardi Family Eminent Scholar. Dr. López Maya is a historian and the foremost authority on the Bolivarian Revolution. She is an emeritus professor of the Center for Development Studies (CENDES) of the Universidad Central de Venezuela and a member of the Center of Political Studies of the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. Dr. López Maya was director of the Revista Venezolana de Economía y Ciencias Sociales and was on the Board of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) between 2006 and 2009.
Dr. López Maya’s research delves into the contemporary socio-historical and sociopolitical processes of Latin America, particularly in Venezuela. Some of her prominent publications include Venezuela: Del viernes negro al referendo revocatorio [Venezuela: From Black Friday to the Presidential Recall] (Grupo Alfa, 2005), Democracia participativa en Venezuela (1999-2010): origenes, leyes, percepciones y desafios [Participative Democracy in Venezuela (1999-2010): Origins, laws, perceptions and challenges] (Centro Gumilla, 2011), and El ocaso del chavismo. Venezuela 2005-2015 [The Sunset of Chavism. Venezuela 2005-2015] (Caracas, Grupo Alfa, 2016).
Her work has garnered Dr. López Maya multiple fellowships, including being named a visiting fellow by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; and the Andrés Bello Fellowship St. Antony's College, Oxford. She has taught courses at Columbia University, the University of Oxford, and the University of Princeton, among others.
In the spring of 2020, Dr. López Maya will teach a seminar entitled Democracy in Latin America: Representative, Participative or Populist? As part of the seminar, students will study and analyze theories and experiences on participatory and populist democracy in recent sociopolitical processes of Latin America. The Center for Latin American Studies will also hold a conference to honor the work of Dr. López Maya entitled What Went Wrong with the Left in Latin America? Dr. López Maya will deliver the keynote speech.
The Bacardi Family Eminent Scholar Chair in Latin American Studies was established in 1991 with a gift from Bacardi Imports and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Bacardi endowment enables the Center to invite distinguished scholars and public figures to teach, lecture, mentor students and carry out research at the University of Florida. Since 1992, 17 individuals have held the chair with expertise in diverse fields, such as economics, politics, tropical conservation, history, dance, and literature.
For more information, contact Patricia Alba at patricia@latam.ufl.edu.
