Rafael Cesar

Rafael Cesar is an Assistant Professor at Princeton University, affiliated with the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. His research and teaching focus on comparative racial imaginaries, Afro-Diasporic histories, and cultural production across Portuguese-speaking Africa, Brazil, Portugal, Cuba, and the USA.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. and M.Phil in Spanish and Portuguese from New York University (2021)
  • M.A. in Lusophone African Literatures from Universidade Federal Fluminense (Brazil)
  • B.A. in Portuguese Language and Luso-Brazilian Literatures from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

His research explores Transatlantic racial discourses, particularly how Angolan nationalism engaged with Latin American notions of 'racelessness' through literature, film, and political thought. He also examines the intersection of tradition/modernity in African literature and its role in Afro-Diasporic politics.

Rafael Cesar's projects have been supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation, Social Sciences Research Council (SSRC), and American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). He has conducted archival research in Angola, Portugal, Brazil, Cuba, Germany, and France.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Berkeley President's Postdoctoral Fellowship

He has previously taught at New York University and public universities in Brazil, covering literatures and cultures of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Portuguese-speaking Africa. His publications include the book Kuatiça Ó Ngoma (2011) and scholarly articles on African and Afro-Diasporic authors.