Hispanic Studies Faculty Focus for September 2021: Dr. José Chávarry

The Department of Hispanic Studies is very happy to dedicate its Faculty Focus for September 2021 to Dr. José Chávarry.

Dr. Chávarry, who joins HISP as an Assistant Professor of Spanish during fall 2021, comes to Charleston by way of Franklin & Marshall College, where he served as Visiting Assistant Professor from 2019 to 2021.

A graduate of the CUNY Graduate Center—with a Master of Philosophy in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Languages (2016) and a doctorate in Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures—Dr. Chávarry’s fascinating dissertation work focused on Working Lives: Artistic Solidarity in Revolutionary Peru (1960-1980).

Among his most recent publications are “Viaje a la Revolución: vitalismo y cultura política en las crónicas chinas de Bernardo Kordon” [Revista de Estudios Hispánicos 54.3 (2020)], “Alimentar el espíritu, alimentar el cuerpo: marginalidad y lectura en Patíbulo para un caballo, de Cronwell Jara Jiménez” [Latin American Literary Review 48.95 (2021)] and the forthcoming “‘Desespérate como nosotros’: Hora Zero Oriente y el ‘Memorándum Colectivo’ a Pablo Neruda” (Romance Notes).

Of course, besides being an impressive scholar, Dr. Chávarry is also an accomplished teacher, who makes the subject matter imparted (whatever it may be) come alive for his students—a fact that is plain from his below comments.

For these reasons, and for many others, Hispanic Studies is proud and pleased to welcome Dr. José Chávarry as one of its own.

In his own words:

I think what I love the most about being in the classroom is the discussions we can have around contemporary social and cultural topics, and the ways in which literature and language can bring us to ask questions (and, sometimes, elaborate partial answers) about issues that matter to us. This is why I am very excited to join the Department of Hispanic Studies at the College of Charleston, and look forward to many exciting conversations and collaborations with students and faculty.