Mauricio Acuña

Mauricio Acuña is an Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Dartmouth College, specializing in Afro-Latin American Studies with a focus on contemporary Afro-Brazilian literatures, cultures, and the African Diaspora. His research integrates poetics, performance, and politics, particularly through studies of capoeira and digital humanities. He holds PhDs from Princeton University (2021) and the University of São Paulo (2017), along with master’s degrees from both institutions.

Acuña’s work bridges scholarship and public engagement, including translations, critical editions, and media articles on topics like capoeira’s role in education and Brazil’s literary margins. He has received prestigious awards such as the Arcadio Díaz-Quiñones Teaching Award (2020) and honors for his dissertation on Mestre Pastinha. His current projects include a book manuscript on Afro-Atlantic imaginaries and the First World Festival of Negro Arts.

• Research Interests: Afro-diasporic aesthetics, race relations, Luso-Afro-Atlantic poetics, and Blackness in global contexts
• Key Publications: Books on capoeira intellectuals (2015), peer-reviewed articles on Jorge Amado and Senghor, and encyclopedia entries on racial theory and Mestre Pastinha
• Grants & Fellowships: Not explicitly listed but implied through awards and academic appointments

Acuña actively participates in public lectures and cultural initiatives, such as speaking engagements on capoeira history and critical editions of seminal Brazilian texts. His interdisciplinary approach connects academic rigor with community-focused scholarship.