Jesús A. Ramos-Kittrell

Jesús A. Ramos-Kittrell is an Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Oregon's School of Music and Dance. His research bridges early modern studies with contemporary analyses of globalization, examining how sound functions as political enunciation within cultural narratives. His work integrates music studies with social history, cultural studies, and literary theory.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Musicology, The University of Texas at Austin (2006)
• M.M. in Music, The University of Texas at Austin (2001)
• B.M. in Music, The University of Texas at Austin (1998)

Research Interests:

His scholarship explores the intersection of sound, power, and social organization, particularly how marginalized communities use music to negotiate power asymmetries. Key areas include critical race theory, subaltern studies, deconstruction in relation to sound and literature, early modern studies, Latin American and Latinx studies, and analyses of neoliberalism and globalization.

His work examines sound as both a product and producer of institutional narratives, investigating how sonic practices can unsettle dominant cultural rhetoric and create spaces for political action.

Scientific Awards:

• Ellen Koskoff Edited Volume Prize – Society for Ethnomusicology
• Helen Roberts Prize Honorable Mention – Society for Ethnomusicology
• Publication Subvention Award – American Musicological Society
• Clinton Global Initiative Selection – The Clinton Foundation
• Teaching Excellence Award – American Association of University Professors

Professional Service and Editorial Work:

Professor Ramos-Kittrell serves on the editorial boards of the Journal for the Society of American Music and Americas: A Hemispheric Music Journal. He has held various leadership roles in the American Musicological Society, Society for Ethnomusicology, College Music Society, and Modern Language Association, contributing to the advancement of musicological scholarship.

Research Impact:

His monograph Playing in the Cathedral: Music, Race and Status in New Spain (Oxford University Press, 2016) provides groundbreaking analysis of music production in colonial Mexico as resistance to racialization. His edited volumes and articles continue to influence scholarship in musicology, cultural studies, and Latin American studies.