Mary Strasma Joins Faculty

Mary Strasma joins the History faculty this fall as an Assistant Professor of Latin American history.  Strasma will earn her PhD from the University of Minnesota this fall, and has taught Latin American history and world history at the University of Minnesota, St. John’s University, and Shepherd University.  Her research into historical memory and place (in Mexico as well as Chile) leads her to present history as a debate made up of diverse viewpoints.  Her dissertation, a history of the symbolic meanings of Chile's presidential palace, La Moneda, highlights the role of history and of historical places in the struggles to define (or re-define) a nation and its values. 

In both research and teaching, Strasma does a lot of work with the topic of human rights, an interest that was promoted in part by an internship in her own college days at the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis. She remarks, “It's been interesting to see the questions regarding prosecution versus amnesty for torturers–questions that the countries I study in Latin America have struggled with over the last two decades–showing up in recent political debates in the United States.”

Strasma anticipates teaching courses on various regions of Latin America (including Mexico, Central America, the Southern Cone, and the Caribbean) as well as thematic courses such as human rights in Latin America, place and memory, and topics in world history. Strasma says she enjoys seeing “the light bulb moment, when a student begins to see how the material comes together.” “But even better is what happens next: when students begin to use what they're discovering in history classes to shape their own questions about their lives and the societies we live in. Participating in that aspect of students' development is a privilege, and I'm excited to see the diversity of backgrounds and the curiosity that EMU students bring to their work here.”

Strasma’s personal background is both international –“I was born in Chile, and have been involved in Latin America all my life”–and Midwestern:  “I went to public school in Madison, Wisconsin, and then moved to Minnesota for my undergraduate and graduate careers (with a stint working at Minnesota Public Radio in between). My husband Raul is from Uruguay and our son is growing up bilingual in Spanish and English, but we are very happy to be settling in the Midwest. After two years living south of the Mason-Dixon Line, we're looking forward to shoveling snow (seriously - I enjoy it!) and making snow creatures.”

September 2009