Cecilia Marquez

Cecilia Márquez is the Hunt Family Assistant Professor in History at Duke University. Her research focuses on the history of Latinx people in the US South. Dr. Márquez writes and teaches about the formation of Latinx identity, Latinx social movements, and the importance of region in shaping Latinx identity. Her work has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

A brief overview of her new book, “Making the Latino South”:

The history of the American South is being retold with Latinos at the center. Duke University Professor Cecilia Márquez’s “Making the Latino South” reveals that to be Latino in the South was unlike being Latino anywhere else in the country. In this book, Marquez challenges commonly held beliefs about the origins of Latino identity and the power of region in shaping race. 

“Making the Latino South” details the journey of Latinos from Jim Crow to the Civil Rights Movement, the post-Civil Rights Era, and the early days of the twenty-first century South. Those interested in history, politics, immigration, and race in the region will discover new voices and insights in Márquez’s compelling retelling of southern history.