Juan Manuel Lombera

Juan Manuel Lombera is a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Latin American politics, international relations, comparative politics, and history. His scholarship interrogates the intricate relationships among the Catholic Church, civil society, and the state in Latin America, with a particular lens on the progressive Catholic movement in Mexico during the 1960s–1980s.

Education

• Ph.D. in Political Science, Temple University

Research Focus

Lombera’s research traces how ecclesiastical actors shaped—and were shaped by—Mexico’s tumultuous political transformations. He examines archival and ethnographic evidence to illuminate the progressive branch of the Catholic Church’s engagement with social justice, democratization, and grassroots mobilization.

Professional Service

• Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia (1996–2001)