Michael J. Lazzara

Michael J. Lazzara is an Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature & Culture at the University of California, Davis, with affiliations to Film Studies and Cultural Studies programs. He holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University (2006).

Education:

• Ph.D., Princeton University, 2006

Research Interests: Focuses on 20th/21st-century Latin American artistic responses to dictatorship, democratic transitions, and traumatic memory, particularly in Chile and Argentina. Explores intersections of literature, film, and cultural studies, with emphasis on documentary cinema's role in memory production. Key themes include post-Pinochet Chile, collaborator narratives, neoliberalism, and human rights discourses.

Current Projects:

• "Telling Ruins in Contemporary Latin America" (co-edited)
• Book-length study of Luz Arce Sandoval's testimonial legacy
• "Visions of Allende" analyzing cultural representations of Salvador Allende

Teaching: Develops courses on documentary film's 'subjective turn,' post-traumatic memory in cinema, and Latin American cultural production during political crises.

Lab/Team Affiliations: Active in UC Davis' Film Studies Program and Cultural Studies initiatives, collaborating with institutions like the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission archives.