Marta Caminero-Santangelo

Marta Caminero-Santangelo is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Kansas. Her work bridges literary criticism with social justice activism, focusing on U.S. Latinx literature, trauma narratives, and the role of storytelling in immigrant rights movements.

• Research: Literature’s role in social change, especially for marginalized communities
• Teaching: Courses on Latinx literature, social justice, and 20th-century American literature
• Service: Community engagement with immigrant rights organizations

Her scholarship analyzes how narratives by undocumented immigrants, DREAMers, and Afro-Cubans challenge power structures and foster solidarity. She has published extensively on topics including testimonio, border-crossing trauma, and panethnic identity construction.

Recent publications examine life-writing by undocumented youth, the evolution of the Sanctuary Movement, and intersections of religion with migration activism. Her work combines literary theory with empirical engagement, emphasizing the relevance of cultural analysis to real-world social struggles.