As a foreign-born U.S. citizen and Latin American studies scholar, Gustavo Fares is interested in working with colleagues abroad and fostering mutually beneficial connections with institutions outside the United States.
A professor of Spanish at Lawrence University, Fares is hoping to do just that as a recently named Fulbright Specialist Roster candidate.
Selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars, Fares joins a national roster of scholars who are eligible to be matched with projects from overseas academic institutions as a Fulbright Specialist. He will remain on the roster for five years.
Fares is the second Lawrence faculty member named a Fulbright Specialist Roster candidate, joining Merton Finkler, professor of economics and John R. Kimberly Distinguished Professor in the American Economic System, who was selected several years ago and is nearing the end of his five-year term.
“I’ve spent my life, both personal and professional, building bridges between cultures, people and disciplines,” said Fares, who joined the Lawrence faculty in 2000. “I have a deep passion for cultural exchanges. With my expertise in Latin American and Latino studies, I’m interested in the ways in which U.S. minority communities represent themselves in culture and politics as well as the interdisciplinary approaches to cultural identity construction and expression.
“I’m hoping to enrich the ways American culture is perceived outside the U.S. borders by facilitating exchanges of knowledge,” added Fares, a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar fellowship in 2004 to teach at the National University of Cuyo in his native Argentina. “Ultimately, I hope to advance the program’s goal of increased connections between U.S. and non-U.S. institutions.”
As a Fulbright Specialist Roster candidate, Fares is eligible for grant opportunities of two-to-six weeks in length proposed by institutions around the world that are seeking specialists for various projects. Fares is especially interested in collaborating with institutions in Argentina, Sweden and Japan.
“I’m excited about the wide range and diversity of activities open to specialists,” said Fares, whose research interests include Latin American, gender, film and cultural studies. “I would love to share my academic experience with projects that go beyond traditional teaching and scholarship, projects that would allow me to explore and develop new paths. I would welcome opportunities and experiences that would transform my own work and broaden the academic impact I have beyond Lawrence.”
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College” and Fiske’s Guide to Colleges 2016. Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
