Luis Menendez

Advisor

Drs. Hinojosa and Sloan

Education

M.A. in History with a certificate in public and oral history from the University of Texas at El Paso

B.A. in English and American Literature at the University of Texas at El Paso

Academic Interests & Research Narrative

My research focuses on gathering oral histories from the victims of the violence that took over Ciudad Juarez after President Felipe Calderon declared a war on drugs in Mexico during 2006. These histories are presented to counter the image of Ciudad Juarez fomented by media, entertainment, and academic works as a place of pure chaos and violence, dehumanizing the thousands of victims and their families in the process. I am also interested in public history and museum work. 

Biography

I was born in El Paso and raised in Ciudad  Juarez, across the border.

Why I Chose Baylor

I chose Baylor because of its excellent Institute for Oral History, which also serves as the home for the national Oral History Association. It also houses excellent faculty members that share my academic interests as a historian of Mexico and the borderlands.