Laura Lomas

Laura Lomas, Professor of American Studies and English at Rutgers University, Newark, specializes in Latina/o/x literary and cultural theory, translation studies, and 19th century Afro-Caribbean diasporic critique. She has held leadership roles including Director of Women's and Gender Studies Program and Founding Faculty Director of the Cuba study abroad initiative. Her research on transnational Latina/o/x identities and postcolonial translation dynamics has garnered support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Fulbright Foundation, with affiliations at institutions including the University of Texas-Austin and Hostos Review editorial board.

• Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
• B.A. in English and Religion, Swarthmore College

Her research interests span:

• Latina/o/x literary history (e.g., Cambridge History of Latina/o American Literature)
• Decolonial theory in Martí's New York-based writings
• Transnational feminist discourse (as seen in Meridians and Cuban Studies)
• Borderlands cultural production (Small Axe and Trasvesía journals)
• 19th-century U.S. imperial critique through Martí's poetry
• Language politics in the 2000 U.S. Census

Recent publications focus on Julia de Burgos's Afro-Latina modernism, Lourdes Casal's critical race theory, and Martí's anti-imperialist aesthetics.

Scientific Awards & Grants

• 2022-23 Fulbright Distinguished Scholar, Brazil
• 2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
• 2009 Modern Language Association Prize
• Multiple NEH and Mellon Foundation grants

Lomas contributes to editorial leadership as Associate Editor of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society and advisory roles for the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project. Her interdisciplinary courses include Latina/o/x Literature and Culture and Transatlantic Feminist Theories.