Gaston A. Alzate, Ph.D

Member of CAL STATE LA Golden Eagle Mariachi Band

3rd Interdisciplinary Conference, California State University-Sacramento. Proceedings. (Student publications)

INTRODUCTION

Currently I am Full Professor of Spanish. I teach Latin American Theater, Performance Art and Literature. Representing the College of Arts and Letters, in 2018 I won The Cal State-L.A. Outstanding Mentorship Recognition, which distinguishes faculty who provide extraordinary academic mentoring to graduate students. In 2017 I was the Latin American Theater Review Cátedra Woodyard recipient, University of Kansas. During 2011 I was Research Fellow of the Verflechtungen von Theater Kulturen (Interweaving Performance Cultures). Freie Universität, Berlin. Previously, I was Director of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies at Gustavus Adolphus College (1999-2006). I also served as advisor for the Independent Study group in Cuba, SPAN, University of Minnesota (1999-2000). I worked as Research Associate with David William Foster (1996-1997). Before living in the US I won the National Essay Award with my book Un aspecto desesperanzado de la literatura, a comparative study of the work of Sophocles, F. Hölderlin and Álvaro Mutis (Colombian Ministery of Culture). I also won the Alejo Carpentier National Short Story Award with "Luisa Fernanda" (Universidad Central, Bogotá). Since 2009 I have been a member of the CSULA Mariachi Band Aguila de Oro (Golden Eagle). 

 

           1) With Mariachi Aguila de Oro, Grand Park, Downtown Los Angeles, May 2017. 2) As a "homeless" Mariachi in the film Kairos: el momento oportuno directed by Nicolás Buenaventura, Cali, Colombia, July 2016.

TEACHING INTERESTS

For the last ten years, at California State University, Los Angeles, I have taught Theater Production in Spanish (Teatro en español), and developed several collaborative projects involving the Music and Theater Departments (see Mariachi Quixote). I have also taught undergraduate and MA courses on Contemporary Latin American Theater and Literature, graduate seminars on Latino and Latin American Performance Art, and on Mexican Popular Cultures from the point of view of theater and performance studies.  I am fortunate in that my academic life has given me the opportunity to balance both teaching and research in my field. At Cal State I love having the opportunity to work with a diverse student population. I try to create a comfortable and humorous atmosphere that promotes communication between cultures, while at the same time promoting a high level of learning. 

RESEARCH

My central line of research and publication has been Mexican and Colombian culture with a focus on literature, theater and performance art. With the collaboration of Dr. Paola Marín, I founded the academic electronic journal KARPA in 2008, devoted to theatrical dissidences, visual arts, and culture. It publishes articles in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. It was indexed by the MLA International Bibliography. Previously a journal, it is now a peer-reviewed publication, which encompasses Latin American and Iberian performing and visual culture manifestations such as political cabaret, dance, performance art, theater, social theatricalities, graffiti, photography, and film.

During my Fellowship at the Verflechtungen von Theater Kulturen in Berlin (2011) I did research on Contemporary Mexican Political Cabaret focusing on the processes of interweaving diverse cultures. My experience at Berlin allowed me to better understand international perspectives on the Performance Studies field. These include the German scholarly tradition and the viewpoints of so-called Third World scholars who have questioned the intercultural component in the origins of the Performance Studies field in the U.S., principally the fact that performative manifestations from cultures beyond the Anglo-European context are often times stripped of their specific historical conditions.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

AWARDS:

Outstanding Mentorship and Commitment to Students Engaged in Research. Cal State University-L.A. (2018)

Cátedra George Woodyard recipient.  Latin American Theater Review, University of Kansas. (2017)

National Essay Award, Instituto Colombiano de Cultura (Ministerio de Cultura).

National Short Story Award. Fundación Alejo Carpentier. Universidad Central. Bogotá.

JURY:

Jury of theater competition "Premio innovación y juventud 2011". Universidad Autónoma de Baja California/Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, México. (2011)

Jury of the Open Arts Student Competition. 4th International Forum on Visual Arts. Museum Leopoldo Flores/Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Mexico. (2007)

Jury for the George Woodyard’s 1st Latin American Theater Prize, sponsored by University of Connecticut/Latin American Theater Review. (2006)

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

Research Fellow, Interweaving Performance Cultures, Freie Universität, Berlín, Germany. (2010-2011)

Ph.D. Contemporary Mexican Theater, 1997. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Masters Latin American Art Criticism, 1991 Universidad del Rosario. Bogotá, Colombia.

B.A. Contemporary Latin American Literature.  Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá, Colombia.

Studies of piano, flute and composition. Real Conservatorio Superior de Música y Canto. Madrid, Spain

COURSE LISTING