Matthew Joseph Pettway

Matthew Joseph Pettway is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature at the University of South Alabama. He holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Cultural Studies (2010) and M.A. (2001) from Michigan State University, and a B.A. (1999) from Eastern Michigan University in Business Spanish and Media Production.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Hispanic Cultural Studies, Michigan State University (2010)
  • M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Literatures, Michigan State University (2001)
  • B.A. in Business Spanish and Media Production, Eastern Michigan University (1999)

His research focuses on African-Cuban Studies, Afro-Caribbean Spirituality in Literature, and Critical Race Studies. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals like PALARA, Zora Neale Hurston Forum, and Afro-Hispanic Review, with recent work on Afro-Brazilian kinship and Cuban ethnographic interviews.

Key publications include studies on Juan Francisco Manzano's poetry, Afro-Cuban ritual poetics, and comparative analyses of Caribbean literature. His forthcoming work explores Third-Gender Identity in Medieval Portugal and Afro-Cuban spirituality in Latinx literatures.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Langston Hughes Visiting Professorship

Pettway has taught at multiple institutions including College of Charleston and University of Kansas, offering courses on racial politics, African-based spirituality, and advanced Spanish literature. His teaching spans from 2007 to present, including team-taught courses on Cuban culture.