Political Science Prof Named Harvard Visiting Scholar
May 16, 2014 - News Release
A University of Guelph political scientist is the first Canadian to win a prominent international fellowship in Latin American Studies at Harvard University.
Prof. Jordi Díez has been named the 2014-15 Peggy Rockefeller Visiting Scholar of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.
He will spend the fall semester at Harvard while on research leave from Guelph.
“I am honoured to have been selected for this prestigious appointment,” said Díez, a U of G professor since 2004.
“It’s a privilege to be able to spend time in one of the most intellectually stimulating environments anywhere, and I am proud to represent our great University at Harvard."
Díez will work on a new research project called “The Judicialization of Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Latin America.”
Most recently, he studied the expansion of gay and lesbian rights in Latin America. His book, The Politics of Gay Marriage in Latin America, will be published later this year by Cambridge University Press.
At U of G, Díez teaches comparative politics, Latin American politics and comparative public policy.
"This is a prestigious honour that reflects Prof. Díez's innovative and significant work in expanding our understanding of human rights issues in Latin America," said Prof. Byron Sheldrick, chair of the Department of Political Science,
Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies works to increase knowledge of the cultures, economies, histories, environment and contemporary affairs of Latin America, and to foster co-operation and understanding. The visiting scholar program was created through an anonymous donation in memory of Peggy Rockefeller, the wife of the centre’s founder, David Rockefeller.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, lhunt@uoguelph.ca; or Kevin Gonsalves, Ext. 56982, kgonsalves@uoguelph.ca.
