Juan Pro

Juan Pro is Full Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), currently on secondment as Senior Researcher at the School of Hispano-American Studies (Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Seville, Spain. He has been teaching History since 1988 and was elected to the Academia Europaea in 2020.

His academic career spans over three decades:

• 2020-Present: Senior Researcher on secondment, Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos, CSIC
• 2019-2020: Full Professor, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
• 1996-2019: Associated Professor, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
• 1993-1996: Adjunct Professor, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
• 1988-1993: Assistant Professor, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Pro specializes in transnational approaches to cultural history of politics and comparative history of Spain and Latin America, with a current focus on utopian studies. His research explores how utopian thinking shaped political and social developments across the Atlantic world, particularly examining intentional communities, Fourierist experiments, and alternative political models in Hispanic contexts.

His extensive publication record shows a clear evolution from state-building studies toward utopian thought, with recent works analyzing Hispanic utopian traditions, transatlantic anarchist movements, and the spatial dimensions of utopian communities. The publications reveal a methodological shift toward cultural and emotional history approaches within political history.

Notable achievements include:

• 1990 Extraordinary History Ph.D. Award, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
• 1985 Extraordinary History Degree Award, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Pro has supervised 11 completed doctoral theses and currently mentors 3 additional doctoral candidates. He has directed 5 major research projects and participated in 21 total research initiatives, including the current DECOLONHIST network (2025-2027) focused on decolonizing Atlantic history.

He leads several significant academic initiatives as coordinator of the Transatlantic Network of Utopian Studies, director of the HISTOPIA Research Group, and member of the international U2 network studying utopian uses across cultures.