Daniela Samur

Daniela Samur is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Utah. A historian of modern Latin America, her research explores intersections of culture, power, spatial theory, and urban history, with a focus on Colombia and the Andes.

• Education
  • PhD, History, Cornell University (2024)
  • MA, Literary Studies, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (2019)
  • BA, History and Political Science, Universidad de los Andes (2013, 2012)

Research Focus: Samur examines everyday state formation through material culture, print culture, and urban spaces. Her current book project, Binding the State: Bogotá’s World of Prints, analyzes how books, prints, and paper shaped Colombian state operations in the late 19th to early 20th century. A second project investigates state-led social engineering via alcohol production in the modern Andes.

Key Publications: Recent work includes studies on Bogotá’s print culture and Caribbean knowledge production networks, reflecting her expertise in global urban history and historical sociology.

• Scientific Awards
  • Deanne Gebell Gitner '66 and Family Annual Prize for Teaching Assistants (2021)
  • Emerging Scholar, Global Urban History Project (GUHP) Mentorship Program (2021-2022)
  • Bibliographical Society of America-Pine Tree Foundation Fellowship in Hispanic Bibliography (2020)

Teaching: Courses include Urban Latin America and Space and Politics in Modern Latin America. Contact: Daniela.Samur@utah.edu