FACULTY - Joseph M. Towle
Assistant Professor
From beginning to advanced classes, language learning and the study of literatures and cultures teaches cultural awareness, deepens the acquisition of a foreign language, and instills a new sense of self-discovery, thus it becomes instrumental in order to prepare students for international learning, work, volunteer experiences and living abroad.
I like teaching at Augsburg because the small campus fosters deeper professional relationships between instructors and students allowing both to get to know each other and their work better inside and outside the classroom. I think this also creates an environment conducive of more engaged teachers and learners. The urban setting offers infinite learning opportunities outside a classroom setting for everyone to interact and develop relationships with the multiple local communities that make up our city.
One of my current research projects focuses on the Zapatista revolution in Chiapas, Mexico. Interdisciplinary in its scope, this project draws on human rights activism, indigenous rights, literary analysis, cultural studies and political theory in order to analyze Zapatista strategies to sustain social change.
In addition to understanding the day-today workings of the Zapatista revolution, I am doing further research on Subcomandante Marcos’ fictional detective Elías Contreras. Of particular interest in studying the adventures of Elías is how Marcos uses the detective fiction genre to critique capitalism, the Mexican political system, and academics and intellectuals (including Marcos) as he searches for clues and answers to build a better Mexico ‘desde abajo’ (from below).
My research and teaching interests both involve the study of revolutions and social movements as they relate to human rights throughout the Americas, especially in Mexico, Central America, and Cuba. In these geographical regions I am interested in the cultural productions—from graffiti to novels—that arise from experiences had by individuals and groups within resistance movements.
Of further interest to me within the broad field of Hispanic crime fiction is a sub-genre dubbed the Narconovela (Drug-trafficking novels), which has continued to emerge in varying forms since the second half of the twentieth century and to the present, much like the drug-trade related violence we hear so much about today. Beginning with his first novel Un asesino solitario (2001), Sinaloan author and dramatist, Élmer Mendoza has become one of Mexico’s most important voices over the past decade. While narco culture has invaded almost every aspect of Mexican life, he has been one author writing on that blurred line between fiction and reality often finding inspiration for his work in the everyday lived experiences of his fellow countrymen. In the future, I hope to develop a semester-long course on Human Rights Issues in Latin America and Hispanic Crime Fiction.
I have lived, studied and traveled extensively throughout Mexico. I am a huge hockey and soccer fan, I love bike riding (and repairing!), and I also try to golf and fish as much as possible.
