Luis Duno-Gottberg is a Venezuelan

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and professor at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

, where he holds the Lee Hage Jamail Chair in

Latin American Studies Latin American studies (LAS) is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. The interdisciplinary study is a subfield of area studies, and can be composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, histor ...

. His research focuses on Caribbean and Latin American culture,

visual culture Visual culture is the aspect of culture expressed in visual images. Many academic fields study this subject, including cultural studies, art history, critical theory, philosophy, media studies, Deaf Studies, and anthropology. The field of vi ...

, race, and

political violence Political violence is violence which is perpetrated in order to achieve political goals. It can include violence which is used by a State (polity), state against other states (war), violence which is used by a state against civilians and non-st ...

. Luis is the author and editor of several works examining modern slavery in the Americas,

mestizaje ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to ...

in Cuba, and the cultural representations of disasters and incarceration in Latin America.

Early life and education

Duno-Gottberg was born and raised in Venezuela to Estela Gottberg, a neuroscientist and Pedro Duno, a philosopher. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature in 1994, graduating

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

. Afterward, he pursued graduate education at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States, earning a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Latin American Literature in 1996. He also completed a Doctoral Certificate in Cultural Studies. In 2000, Duno-Gottberg earned his Ph.D. in Latin American Literature at the University of Pittsburgh.

Career

Duno-Gottberg's academic career spans multiple institutions in both Venezuela and the United States, with contributions in teaching, research, and academic administration. He has served as a juror for several international literary and professional competitions, including the Latin American Studies Association's Venezuelan Section Prize in 2011, the Rómulo Gallegos International Literary Prize in Venezuela in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, the José Donoso International Literary Prize in Chile in 2022, and the Latin American Studies Association's Fernando Coronil Prize for Venezuelan Studies in 2022. In addition to his academic work, Duno-Gottberg has co-curated the exhibition "La Furia del Viento", which showcases over 120 years of photography depicting earthquakes and hurricanes. The exhibition, held at the Fototeca de Cuba, aimed to explore the intersection of photography, disaster, and resilience.

2000-2008

After completing his Ph.D. in the United States, Duno-Gottberg returned to Venezuela and joined the faculty at Universidad Simón Bolívar. He taught there from 2000 to 2003, where his courses focused on

Latin American literature Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of Latin America. Latin American literature rose to particular pro ...

and

cultural theory Cultural studies is an academic field that explores the dynamics of contemporary culture (including the politics of popular culture) and its social and historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers investigate how cultural practices rela ...

. In 2003, Duno-Gottberg accepted a position at

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

, where he served as

Associate Professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

and Director of Caribbean and Latin American Studies. He also chaired the

Comparative Literature Comparative literature studies is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across language, linguistic, national, geographic, and discipline, disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role ...

program during his tenure and remained there until 2008.

2008-present

Duno-Gottberg has been a professor at

since 2008, where he became a full professor in 2019. He has also held several administrative positions at Rice, serving as Department Chair of Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies from 2016 to 2020. Additionally, Duno-Gottberg served as Founding Master of Duncan College from 2009 to 2015, and Magister of

Baker College Baker College is a private university with its main campus in Owosso, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1911 and (as of 2023) has four additional campuses throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The institution has been accused o ...

from 2017 to 2023.

Notable works

Duno-Gottberg has authored and edited a number of books and scholarly articles mainly on Latin American and Caribbean culture, race, and politics.

Books

* ''Albert Camus, Naturaleza: Patria y Exilio'' * ''Solventar las diferencias: La ideología del mestizaje en Cuba (2003)'' * ''La humanidad como mercancía: Introducción a la esclavitud en América y el Caribe (2014)''

Edited Volumes

* ''The Films of Arturo Ripstein: The Sinister Gaze of the World (2019)'' * ''Carceral Communities: Troubling Prison Worlds in 21st Century Latin America (2021)'' * ''Haiti and the Americas'' (2013) * ''La politica'' ''encarnada. Biopolítica y Cultura en la Venezuela Bolivariana'' (2015) * ''Submerged. Sumergido. Alternative Cuban Cinema'' (2013) * ''Miradas al margen. Cine y subalternidad en América Latina'' (2008) * ''Imagen y Subalternidad. El cine de Víctor Gaviria'' (2003)

Articles

* ''Transaction & Transition: Photographing Change in Contemporary Cuba (2016)'' * ''Geografías del miedo en el cine venezolano contemporáneo (2011)''

Awards and recognitions

In 2010, Duno-Gottberg's research was honored with the Best Paper in the Humanities award from the Venezuelan Studies Section of the

Latin American Studies Association The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest association for scholars of Latin American studies. Founded in 1966, it has over 12,000 members, 45 percent of whom reside outside the United States (36 percent in Latin America and the ...

. He was also awarded the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching at Rice University in 2015 and 2017.

External links

*
Rice University profile

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duno-Gottberg, Luis Venezuelan academics Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Central University of Venezuela alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni Rice University faculty Place of birth missing (living people) Academic staff of Simón Bolívar University (Venezuela)