Samuel Aguayo Mejia

I am a PhD student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese in Maryland. My main research interests include contemporary Mexican literature, Latin American fiction and politics in literature. In my research I analyze literary representations of political subjectivity, acts of protest and the circulation of political ideologies. My mentor and advisor is Dr. Ryan Long. I am also interested in contemporary Latin American politics, the representation of war and revolution in Mexican and Cuban cultural products, and global studies. 

I received my Licenciatura (BA) in Hispanic Language and Literatures from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 2020 (UNAM). In my thesis, I developed an interdisciplinary analysis in between Mexican literature, muralism and vanguards.

In my master’s thesis, I analyzed the representation of oral language in Fernanda Melchor’s Temporada de huracanes (2017), the uses of gossip as an alternative form to represent the historic speech and the stories of traumatized victims or murdered people. 

Within academia, I have taught beginner and intermediate Spanish language courses. I have organized panels for major conferences and served as graduate student representative. Finally, I participate in student mental and physical wellness promotion, suicide prevention and advocacy for mental health within academia.