Andrew Konove

Andrew Konove is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), within the College of Liberal and Fine Arts. He specializes in the political, economic, and social history of urban Mexico and Spanish America during the late colonial and early national periods, bringing expertise in Latin American urban studies, economic history, and the history of the Spanish Empire to his academic role.

Dr. Konove received his educational foundation at prestigious institutions:

• B.A., Magna Cum Laude, with High Honors in History from Haverford College
• M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in History from Yale University
• Graduate Certificate of Concentration in Latin American Studies from Yale University

Dr. Konove's research interests center on Latin American History with particular focus on urban economies, monetary systems, and political sovereignty in colonial and early national Mexico. His work examines how informal economies like street markets shaped urban politics and social structures, how monetary systems reflected and influenced political sovereignty, and how public spaces became sites of contestation and resistance. Through archival research spanning centuries, he reveals connections between economic practices and political power in Spanish America, demonstrating how everyday economic activities like street vending or counterfeiting had profound implications for national identity and governance.

His publications from 2015-2025 reveal a clear evolution in his scholarly focus, beginning with studies of Mexico City's Baratillo marketplace and expanding to broader examinations of monetary systems across Spanish America. Recent work shows increasing attention to how counterfeiting, small change, and monetary policy intersected with questions of national sovereignty and political identity in the 19th century. His research demonstrates remarkable continuity between colonial economic practices and modern informal economies, revealing historical patterns that continue to shape urban Latin America today.

Dr. Konove's scholarly contributions have been recognized with significant honors:

• Social Science Book Prize from the Mexico Section of the Latin American Studies Association for "Black Market Capital"
• Finalist for the Business History Conference's Hagley Prize
• Summer Stipend Award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 2020
• John Carter Brown Library/Research Fellowship from Brown University in 2020

Dr. Konove has secured multiple research grants supporting his scholarly work, including a $52,000 grant for "Capitalism's Hardwiring: Money Credit and Finance in a Globalizing World 1620-2020" (2022-2023) and several grants totaling over $30,000 for his "Making Change" project on money and sovereignty in Hispanic America (2020-2021). At UTSA, he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on colonial and modern Latin American history and the history of the Spanish Empire, mentoring the next generation of historians while continuing his own research on two major book projects: "Making Change: Money, Wealth, and Sovereignty in Hispanic America, 1750-1850" and "Zócalo: A History of Mexico City."

While not explicitly mentioned as directing a formal research lab, Dr. Konove's work connects him to multiple scholarly communities focused on Latin American urban history, economic history, and the history of money. His research bridges disciplinary boundaries, connecting historians of Latin America with scholars of economic history, urban studies, and political theory through his examination of how monetary practices and urban economies shaped political sovereignty in the early Americas.