Professor publishes article with help from Honors research assistant

Associate Professor of English, Dr. Michael Walonen, recently published an article in Latin American Perspectives (47, no. 6) entitled, “Enrique Mendieta and the Ghosts of Leftism Past: The Aftereffects of Mexico’s Dirty War in Élmer Mendoza’s Detective Fiction” with the help of Honors research assistant Maria Pita de Abreu (Class of 2021). Dr. Walonen specializes in world literature and postcolonial studies. His most recent article discusses the legacy of Mexico’s dirty war into the present day through the work of the novelist Élmer Mendoza. He uses “the exploits of [Mendoza’s character] detective Lefty Mendieta… to represent a lost (but not totally lost) egalitarian and socially just alternative to the neoliberal political economy that has ravaged the living conditions of most Mexicans for almost four decades.”

When asked about Maria’s help with his project, Dr. Walonen said she was indispensable to his research. “Maria read and took copious notes for me on two novels that have yet to be translated into English, and she helped me get the formatting squared away before I submitted it.” He includes an appreciative shout out to Maria in the author’s note of the article.

You can read Dr. Walonen’s article here. Maria is currently working on her senior thesis titled, “Understanding the Dynamics of U.S. Healthcare Costs, Quality and Access: A Comparative Analysis” with Dr. Amanda Page-Hoongrajok and is looking to publish it in the near future.