Felipe Lopez

Felipe Lopez, Ph.D., is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Seton Hall University's Department of Political Science and Public Affairs. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from UCLA (2007) and has taught Zapotec language courses at UC San Diego, UCLA, and Haverford College. A Valley Zapotec poet and language activist born in San Lucas Quiaviní, Oaxaca, his work focuses on linguistic preservation and cultural valorization of indigenous Zapotec communities.

Educational Background:

• Ph.D. in Urban Planning, UCLA, 2007
• Early education in San Lucas Quiaviní, Oaxaca

Research Interests: Lopez's scholarship bridges linguistics and cultural anthropology, emphasizing language documentation, indigenous identity narratives, and Zapotec literary production. His work includes:

• Trilingual Zapotec-Spanish-English dictionary publication
• Development of language valorization projects
• Translation of non-Zapotec literary works into Zapotec

Recent Works & Awards: Won the 2017 Premios CaSa Award for his short story Liaza chaa. Currently working on a Zapotec poetry collection. Collaborations include poetry-to-music adaptations by composer Kathryn Goldberg.

Grants & Projects: Active in language revitalization initiatives, though specific grants are unspecified in texts. His work inherently involves cultural preservation funding mechanisms.

Labs/Teams: Engaged in interdisciplinary collaborations involving linguistics departments and cultural preservation organizations, though specific institutional affiliations aren't detailed in provided materials.