My name is Antonio Vásquez and I am an interdisciplinary scholar who teaches introductory and advanced courses in Latinx Studies. I am happy to be here and contribute to the growth of CRES. Most recently, I taught courses with the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies as well as the Race, Indigeneity, and Migration Program at the University of Texas at Austin, during which I received the Alba Ortiz Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2022. I hold a Ph.D. in Chicano/Latino Studies and American Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Community Engagement, an M.A. in International Relations, and a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies.
My research has been realized through my facilitation of community engagement projects and public scholarship with my current and former students, as well as my own individual endeavors. As one recent example, I facilitated a four-year student-led community archive called Testimonios de Mexican American and Latina/o Studies. Other past projects with students include Proyecto Conciencia and Migration with Dignity in Middle Tennessee. My first book project examines the emergence of farmworker organizing and community activism in the southern United States. My second book project will examine the impact of U.S. militarism on Mexican American community formation and imperialist interventions in the Americas.
My entire approach to teaching is grounded in my prior professional experiences working outside of academia, including in southern Mexico, southern Africa, and the southern United States. I am a first-generation college graduate and a product of the public educational system in Southeast San Antonio, Tejas.
Recent Publications and Presentations
Vásquez, Antonio. “Human Trafficking and the Politics of State Violence through Operation Lone Star.” In Resistance and Abolition in the Borderlands: Confronting Trump’s Reign of Terror. University of Arizona Press, 2024: 70-88.
Vásquez, Antonio. “No More Boat Race-ism: Lessons from Political Mobilization in East Austin during the Chicano Movement.” North American Labor History Conference, October 2024.
Vásquez, Antonio. “A Historical and Contemporary View of Farmworker Organizing Movements.” Farmworkers Stand Up Community Panel, Dr. Charles A. Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education, University of Southern Maine, May 2024.
Vásquez, Antonio. “Challenging Narratives of Migration at the Texas-Mexico Border.” Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Justice Conference, Texas Christian University, March 2024.