Skip to main content

John C. Chasteen

Professor Emeritus
CB #3195
chasteen@email.unc.edu



Curriculum Vitae

Education

PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1988

Research Interests

John Charles Chasteen is a cultural historian of Latin America whose work has explored topics ranging from gaucho knife fights and guerrilla insurgencies to the history of carnival and popular dance. His research interests center chronologically on the nineteenth century and extend geographically to Brazil, the Caribbean, and the Río de la Plata. His persistent theme in half a dozen books has been the development of Latin American nationalisms and national identities. Chasteen is currently at work translating a volume of short stories by the renowned nineteenth-century Brazilian author Joaquim Machado de Assis.


Some Notable Publications

  • Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America (W. W. Norton, fourth edition)
  • Americanos: Latin America's Struggle for Independence (Oxford University Press, 2008)
  • National Rhythms, African Roots: The Deep History of Latin American Popular Dance (University of New Mexico Press, 2004)
  • Heroes on Horseback: A Life and Times of the Last Gaucho Caudillos (University of New Mexico Press, 1995)

    • 554A Pauli Murray Hall*
    102 Emerson Dr., CB #3195
    Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3195

    *Though the History Department uses the name Pauli Murray Hall for our building, on official maps you will find it as Hamilton Hall. Joseph Grégoire de Roulhac Hamilton’s intellectually dishonest historical and archival work promoted white supremacy. In contrast, Pauli Murray marshaled unassailable evidence and analysis in the service of racial and gender equality. In July 2020, all of the departments housed in the building agreed to adopt the name Pauli Murray Hall in place of Hamilton Hall. An official request with the Chancellor is pending. For more information, please see here.
    phone: 919.962.2115
    fax: 919.962.1403
    email: history@unc.edu
    Black and White   Black and White   Black and White   Black and White