KU professor named editor of premier Latinx issues journal
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas professor has been appointed as the new editor-in-chief of Latino Studies, the premier journal exploring issues facing Latino/a/x people across the United States.
Marta Caminero-Santangelo teaches courses in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences covering U.S. Latinx literature, literature of social justice and 20th- and 21st-century U.S. literature. She joined the faculty in 1997 and currently is chair of the Department of English. She was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2022.
Her editorship began July 1 and makes KU the new home of the journal. Various campus units plan to contribute funding to the journal, including the Office of Research, Office of International Affairs, Office of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Hall Center for the Humanities, Institute for Policy & Social Research, Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies and English. This will include funding for several necessary roles involving journal publication, including a managing editor, copy editor, translator and more.
“I am thrilled to bring Latino Studies to the University of Kansas,” Caminero-Santangelo said. “Hosting Latino Studies makes visible our institutional commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging by supporting national research on precisely these topics.”
In addition to its exploration of pressing issues facing Latinxs, the content within Latino Studies includes the recovery and commemoration of influential Latino/a/x people and events as well as sections dedicated to illuminating the on-the-ground struggles of Latinxs for equality, representation and social justice. The journal is also transformative, meaning authors have the option of publishing material by the traditional route or by making use of open access, thereby increasing visibility and engagement.
Caminero-Santangelo said she believes housing Latino Studies on campus could directly contribute to KU’s visible efforts to address changing demographics and recruitment of greater numbers of Latinx students.
“I am both proud and grateful that KU has expressed a sincere commitment toward supporting the journal’s budget. This support makes clear that — stereotypes of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ image of Kansas aside — Latino Studies has a flourishing home in the Heartland.”
Caminero-Santangelo was born to Cuban immigrant parents in Canada and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University and doctorate in English from the University of California-Irvine.
The College is the heart of KU, educating the most students, producing the most research and collaborating with nearly every entity at KU. The College is home to more than 50 departments, programs and centers, as well as the School of the Arts and School of Public Affairs & Administration.