Giovanna Montenegro

Giovanna Montenegro is an Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Romance Languages at Binghamton University, serving as Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies Program (LACAS). Her research focuses on colonialism in Latin America and the Caribbean, with interdisciplinary interests in German Studies, cartography, ecocriticism, and visual culture. She has published extensively on topics including the Welsers’ colonial venture in Venezuela and Indigenous environmental resistance in the Guianas.

Education: PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis. Research interests include colonial history, environmental humanities, Indigenous and Maroon studies, and digital humanities. She has led study abroad courses in Peru and collaborated on projects addressing land rights for Saamaka communities in Suriname.

Her work has been supported by prestigious fellowships such as the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, Newberry Library grants, and the American Association of University Women. Notable awards include the 2019 LASA-Venezuela Section Best Article Prize for her analysis of German cultural memory around the Welser colony.

In teaching, she offers courses on colonialism, environmental literature, and world literature, reflecting her commitment to linking academic scholarship with public engagement through initiatives like mapping projects and community advocacy.