Jorge L Chinea

Jorge L Chinea is a Distinguished Service Professor and Academic Director of the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies at Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Specializing in colonial Latin American history, his research focuses on Caribbean colonialism, immigration patterns, and the African diaspora. He holds a Ph.D. in Latin American History from the University of Minnesota (1994), with earlier degrees from SUNY Binghamton. His seminal work, Race and Labor in the Hispanic Caribbean (2005), examines West Indian labor in 19th-century Puerto Rico and was reissued in Spanish (2014). Recent publications include co-editing Esclavos, penados y exiliados en Puerto Rico (2021), exploring social transformations in colonial Puerto Rico.

He has held grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mellon Foundation, and Spain's Ministry of Science. Notable recognitions include the Wayne State Board of Governors Award (2006), Excellence in Education Award (2008), and inclusion in Who's Who in America. His research spans multiple countries, including Cuba, Spain, and Ecuador. He serves on the ACLU of Michigan's Advisory Board and previously chaired the Michigan Humanities Council (2010-2012).

Chinea's work bridges historical scholarship with community engagement, emphasizing Latino/a studies and transnational perspectives. His courses, such as History of Latino/as in the U.S. and History of Puerto Rico and Cuba, reflect his commitment to public education. Ongoing projects include comparative analyses of colonial infrastructure and malaria control in Spain and Puerto Rico.