Robert Smale

Robert Smale is an Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of History at the University of Missouri. He holds a B.A. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on Latin American history, particularly the political, economic, and cultural struggles of South America’s rural peasantry and urban working class. Smale has conducted extensive fieldwork in Bolivia, where he is currently drafting a book examining peasant and worker political mobilization during the early 20th century, including the 1952 Bolivian Revolution. He resides in Columbia, Missouri, with his family, including his wife Daveiva Murillo and their two children, Skip and Scott.

• Education:
• B.A., University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• M.A. and Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
• Research Specialization: Political mobilization in Bolivia, Latin American social movements, and labor history.

Smale’s work bridges historical analysis with contemporary social dynamics, emphasizing grassroots movements’ role in shaping revolutionary outcomes. His current project highlights the roots of socialist reform in Bolivia through the lens of industrialization-era labor and peasant movements.