I am a historian of Modern Latin America specializing in the southern cone. I am interested in the intersection of nature and culture. Particularly, I am drawn to questions on how people experienced a shared sense of community through their spatial practices.
My current project,聽Parks and Dams: Conservation in Chile and Argentina, explores the intricate relationship between infrastructure development and environmental conservation in the Patagonian region of Chile and Argentina since the late nineteenth century. By exploring a variety of development projects, including roads, dams, and energy facilities, this work sheds light on how national parks and protected areas coexisted with infrastructure development. The project contributes to broader discussions on conservation, sustainability, and human intervention, offering critical perspectives on the challenges of preserving Latin America's unique ecosystems.
My first book,聽, examined how explorers, migrants, authorities, and visitors constructed their versions of 鈥楥hile鈥� and 鈥楢rgentina鈥� in the Northern Patagonian Andes. I argued that between the 1890s and 1940s, these groups created shared versions of nationhood through regional, often cross-border, interpretations and transformations of the natural environment.聽This study shows how different actors 鈥� namely explorers, settlers, authorities, visitors, and bandits 鈥� sought to make Patagonia their own by transforming a collection of geographical sites into a landscape that evoked a shared past and a common future.
At Boston College, I teach courses on Modern Latin America, Spatial History, Environmental History, Sports History, Digital Humanities, and Borderlands. My teaching frequently includes聽聽and digital projects, from board games to websites.
I am also affiliated with the Environmental Studies Program and I co-direct the聽Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities.
