Manuel R. Cuellar

Manuel R. Cuellar is an Associate Professor of Spanish Literature at The George Washington University, specializing in Mexican literary and cultural studies with emphases on race, gender, sexuality, and performance. He holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from UC Berkeley and combines ethnographic fieldwork with archival research on Nahuatl language and culture. His book *Choreographing Mexico* (2022) examines dance’s role in national identity formation (1910–1940). Dr. Cuellar is affiliated with the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program and the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute. He co-founded DC’s Corazón Folklórico Dance Company, merging academic research with community-engaged performance.

His teaching spans Latin American literature, queer studies, and transnational migrations. Research interests include Indigenous knowledge systems, Afro-Mexican cultural production, and interdisciplinary methodologies. Podcast appearances like *Imagine Otherwise* highlight his work on dance as community-building and queer embodiment.