Jorge Puma-Crespo

Jorge Puma-Crespo serves as Assistant Professor of History at Hope College since August 2023, teaching introductory courses on the History of the Modern World and Latin American History through innovative methods including movies, graphic novels, and primary sources to examine interconnected global narratives.

His academic credentials include dual Ph.D. degrees in Latin American history (University of Notre Dame) and history (Université Paris-Saclay), both completed in 2023, alongside an M.A. in international history from CIDE (2014) and B.A. degrees in political science/international relations and law from CIDE and Universidad Pontificia de Mexico (2008, 2005).

Dr. Puma specializes in twentieth-century Latin American history with emphases on Mexican revolutionary movements, transnational leftist networks, post-Vatican II Catholic activism, and the global sixties. His dissertation explores connections between French radicalism and Mexican Maoist group Política Popular, particularly their collaboration with radical priest movements during the 1970s.

His publications consistently analyze Cold War-era intersections of Catholicism and Maoism in Mexico, revealing how transnational ideological flows shaped local armed struggles and how militants memorialize revolutionary experiences across decades.

Notable recognitions include:

• Best Dissertation Award, LASA Mexican Section (2024)
• Phillip Gleason Writing Prize, University of Notre Dame (2023)
• Charles A. Hale Fellowship Honorable Mention, LASA (2023)
• Chateaubriand Fellowship in Humanities (2022)
• Summer Research Grant, American Catholic Historical Association (2022)
• Historical Research Award, INEHRM (2021)
• UNAM China-Mexico Research Scholarship (2021)

His research has been supported by multiple grants enabling transnational archival work, while outside academia he contributes political analysis to Mexican media outlets. No laboratory or research team affiliations were specified in the source material.