Ricardo Álvarez-Pimentel

Areas of Specialization

Mexico, Colonial and Modern Latin America, Race, Gender, Catholicism, Revolutions & Authoritarian Politics, Fascism, the Cold War, and U.S.-Latin American Relations

Education

Ph.D., Yale University
M.A., Yale University
B.A., University of Chicago

Academic Interests & Research Narrative

My research interests include the history of revolutions and upheavals, authoritarian politics, nationalism, religion, gender and race relations as they pertain to Latin America and the Caribbean region. My first book, Counterrevolutionary Women: Race, Gender, and Mexico’s Unfinished Religious Restoration, 1917-1946, examines the rise and fall of Acción Católica Mexicana, a social, political, and right-wing religious movement spearheaded by women from Mexico City. It traces the evolution of activists’ political projects, from the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution (1910-20) to the early Cold War. 

For more than ten years, I’ve worked with archival collections in Mexico, Europe, and the United States, publishing my research in English- and Spanish-language journals, print and digital. Since 2020, I have presided over the “Historians of Catholic Mexico” (HISTCATMEX) academic network, organizing seminars, workshops, and conferences that engage US and Mexican historians at all stages of their careers—from advanced graduate students to emeritus scholars.

In the classroom, I strive to create a safe and equitable learning environment by encouraging dialogue and different perspectives. This involves crafting inclusive syllabi and facilitating student discussion to promote active listening and mutual understanding. Prior to Baylor, I worked with talented and inquisitive students at Yale, SUNY-Albany, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I welcome further inquiries about my research and academic interests.

Why I Chose Baylor

I came to Baylor to pursue historical scholarship driven by a commitment to social justice. My research takes a critical approach to Latin American Catholicism and examines the role of institutional religion in both challenging and furthering the region’s class, gender, and racial divides. At the same time, my teaching emphasizes compassion and humility. I teach students to think critically but also encourage them to strive toward mutual understanding. As higher education grows more contentious, Baylor remains a place where I can simultaneously pursue both of these goals: cutting-edge scholarship and constructive pedagogy. I strongly believe that this is possible thanks to Baylor’s unique vision and identity, and as a result of the university’s commitment to its faculty and students.

Biography

I am a stage IV cancer survivor and a Mexican immigrant who has lived in the United States for over 25 years. I was born in Mexico City and partly raised in Miami, Florida before pursuing my undergraduate education. I was the first person in my family to attend college in the US and the only one to pursue a doctorate. Because of these experiences, I am deeply committed to students’ academic success and their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

Selected Publications

Books

Counterrevolutionary Women: Race, Gender, and Mexico’s Unfinished Religious Restoration, 1917–1946 (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2026).

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

“Una reconquista imaginada: Construyendo una identidad femenina, hispanista y antiindigenista a través de la prensa católica durante el cardenismo,” Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos (2026) 42:2.

“Mexico’s ‘Real’ Good Neighbors: US Catholics and Empire during the Interwar Red Scare,” Diplomatic History (2025) 49:1, 7-32.

“Mexican Catholic Women and their Gendered Racial Politics: The Juventud Católica Femenina Mexicana (JCFM), 1926-1939,” Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos (2024) 40:2, 225-253.

“Unspoken Whiteness: #Whitexicans and Religious Conservatism in Mexico,” Journal of Hispanic and Lusophone Whiteness Studies (2020) 1:4, 48-69.

“Guerra Fría, Guerra Cristera, Guerreras Católicas: El conservadurismo y feminismo católico de la Juventud Católica Femenina Mexicana (JFCM), 1926-1939,” (2017) Nuevo Mundo, Mundos Nuevos [Online].

Essays

"Adopting the American Racial Lens: A History of Mexican Migration to Chicago from the Town of Arandas, Jalisco," Chicago Journal of History (2013), 35-51.

Reviews

Review of Jürgen Buchenau and David S. Dalton eds., Anti-Catholicism in the Mexican Revolution, 1913–1940 (2024) for Hispanic American Historical Review (2026) 106:3/106:4, forthcoming. 

Review of Matthew Butler, Mexico’s Spiritual Reconquest: Indigenous Catholics and Father Pérez’s Revolutionary Church for The Catholic Historical Review (2025) 111:1, 216-17.

Review of Alberto García, Abandoning Their Beloved Land: The Politics of Bracero Migration in Mexico for American Historical Review (2024), 129:4, 1756-57.

Review of Jaime Pensado, Love and Despair: How Catholic Activism Shaped Politics and the Counterculture in Modern Mexico for Journal of Social History (2024), 58:2, 373-75.

Review of Margaret Chowning, Catholic Women and Mexican Politics, 1750-1940 for The Catholic Historical Review (2023) 109:3, 633-35.

Selected Activities

Awards (recent)

• Christian Zlolniski Award for best early-career article; Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos journal (2026).
• Theron Rockwell Field Prize for best dissertation in the humanities; Yale University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (2022).

Grants (recent)

• Alfred J. Beveridge Grant for Research in the History of the Western Hemisphere; American Historical Association (2023).
• Dorothy Mohler Research Grant; The Catholic University of America (2022-23).

Fellowships (recent)

• Hank Fellowship in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition; Loyola University Chicago, Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage (2021-22).

Presentations (recent)

• September 2026: “La Juventud Católica Femenina Mexicana (JCFM) frente al nazismo y el estado posrevolucionario, 1939-1945.” XVII Reunión Internacional de Historiadores de México (Veracruz, Mexico).
• May 2026: “Gender Politics, Education, and Family Values: Mexico’s National Catholic Parents’ Union, 1917-2017.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA) 2026 International Congress (Paris, France).
• January 2026: “The Anti-Cristero Politics of Mexican Catholic Action, 1930-1945.” American Historical Association: 139th Annual Meeting (Chicago, IL).

Regular Course Offerings

• Undergraduate:
  • HIS 1300 | US in Global Perspectives - Fascism in the Global Americas
  • HIS 1300 | US in Global Perspectives - US-Mexico Relations
  • HIS 3353/3355 | Pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin America/Modern Latin America 
• Graduate:
  • HIS 5350 | Topics in Latin American History

Other Courses Taught

• Undergraduate:
  • HIS 4340 | The Mexican Revolution and Its Legacies
  • HIS 4352 | Waco's Mexican American Experience
• Graduate:
  • HIS 5350-01 | Latin American Women’s History

Work with Students

• Willing to advise undergraduate theses and direct undergraduate research.
• Accepting graduate students; willing to advise graduate independent study and comprehensive exam fields.

Follow Dr. Álvarez on:

Twitter/X: @ralvarezpi