Luis Duno-Gottberg

Luis Duno-Gottberg is the Lee Hage Jamail Professor of Latin American Studies at Rice University and serves as College Magister of Baker College. He holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and specializes in 19th–21st century Latin American and Caribbean culture, with emphases on race, politics, violence, and cinema. His research explores topics like Venezuela’s political representation, prison communities as bio-political systems, and the Haitian Revolution. He has translated foundational Haitian literature and authored/co-edited over a dozen books, including Carceral Communities in Latin America (2020) and La Politica Encarnada (2015).

His work bridges academic and public spheres, as evidenced by his appearances in media like El Correo del Orinoco and Univision. At Rice, he is a faculty scholar at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and previously served as Magister of Duncan College (2009–15). He has twice received the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching (2015, 2017).

Research interests include: Latin American cultural studies, political violence, cinema analysis, race and ethnicity, and bio-political frameworks. His publications span edited volumes on Cuban and Venezuelan cinema, prison sociology, and Bolivarian politics.

Notable projects include translating Stella (the first Haitian novel) into English and Spanish, and his current book project on Venezuela’s popular mobilization and political representation. His work often intersects with contemporary social movements and media representation.