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Faculty by Undergraduate Concentration

All history majors select a geographic region of concentration as their primary area of study: Americas and Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and the Mediterranean World. Majors are encouraged to get to know the faculty in their region of concentration as early as possible.

History majors are also encouraged to carve out their own unique thematic research pathway — religion, social movements, science and environment, and gender, to name a few — and to get to know the history faculty who specialize in those research areas.

***Click on a faculty member's name to view their detailed profile information.***

Marí­a Elena Dí­az
  • Title
    • Associate Professor
  • Division Humanities Division
  • Department
    • History Department
  • Affiliations Latin American & Latino Studies
  • Phone
    831-459-2227 (office)
  • Email
  • Fax
    831-459-1925
  • Website
  • Office Location
    • Humanities Building 1, 540 Humanities 1
  • Office Hours Spring 2024 Tues 2:30-3:30 pm or by appt. in Zoom
  • Mail Stop Humanities Academic Services
  • Mailing Address
    • 1156 High Street
    • Santa Cruz CA 95064
  • Faculty Areas of Expertise Colonialism, Slavery, African Diaspora, Atlantic World, Latin American and Latino Studies, History, Race, Law and Policy, Personal and Social Identities, Spanish
  • Courses HIS 11A, Latin America: Colonial Period; HIS 130, History of Modern Cuba (20th century); HIS 131, Women in Colonial Latin America; HIS 132, History of the Caribbean: Colonial Period; HIS 190A, Slavery and Race in Latin America; HIS 190B, Race and the Nation in Latin America

Summary of Expertise

Colonial Latin America and Caribbean history

Research Interests

Atlantic world, colonial Latin America and the Caribbean, Cuba. Her research work is located at the intersections of history and anthropology, global and local history, macro and micro levels. Topics include: slavery and freedom; colonialism; legal, political, popular and religious cultures; social identities; race/ethnicity, gender and class.

Biography, Education and Training

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Selected Publications