Roberto Irizarry

Roberto Irizarry is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Sciences - Modern Languages at the University of New Haven's College of Arts and Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish American Literature from the University of Kansas, along with an M.A. in Spanish and a B.A. in English Literature from the Universidad de Puerto Rico. His research focuses on Latin American and US Latino/a literature, theater, and hip-hop, examining themes of race, ethnicity, and national identity performance. He has published extensively on topics such as trauma in theater, hip-hop identity production, and cultural hybridity in immigrant communities.

Key publications include analyses of Migdalia Cruz’s works, investigations into Dominican and Puerto Rican hip-hop collaborations, and explorations of transnational cultural narratives. Irizarry has presented at major conferences like the Latin American Studies Association Congress and the Harvard-based American Comparative Literature Association conference. He actively engages in community roles, such as serving on New Haven’s Peace Commission through an appointment by the Board of Alders.

His teaching philosophy emphasizes cross-cultural dialogue through language and critical contexts, fostering spaces where diverse perspectives intersect. Research activities include participation in performance art workshops and fieldwork documenting hip-hop scenes in Cuba and Brazil.