Carlos Parra

PhD Granting Institution: University of Southern California

Department: History

College: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor: Katherine Morrissey, Ph.D.

Research Proposal: Televising Latinidad: Latino Los Angeles and the Rise of Spanish-Language TV in the United States, 1960-2010

Dr. Carlos Parra completed his Ph.D. in History at the University of Southern California in 2021 where he researched Latino cultural formation in metropolitan Los Angeles and throughout the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. During his graduate studies, Dr. Parra received several prestigious fellowships, including appointments with the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Latino Center. Currently, Dr. Parra serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University.

A University of Arizona alumni, Dr. Parra’s undergraduate research career began as a Ronald McNair scholar at UArizona, where he also worked as a student employee with the Office of Early Academic Outreach supporting the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program (MESA) and the College Academy for Parents (CAP). Dr. Parra’s published research covers topics ranging from the origins of the first U.S.-Mexican border fences in Southern Arizona, the cultural assimilation of ethnic Mexican students in the early New Mexico public school system, and the cultural history of Spanish-language television in greater Latino Los Angeles.

During his fellowship, Dr. Parra will expand his research for a book manuscript, Televising Latinidad: Latino Los Angeles and the Rise of Spanish-Language TV in the United States, 1960-2010. This project will offer a critically important contribution to the study of ethnic/racial identity politics and the media.

In her letter of support, Dr. Katherine Morrissey, Associate Professor, History, wrote: “A bi-national bilingual historian with an extraordinary skill for communicating across racial/ethnic lines and a deep commitment to inclusion, Parra has stellar academic credentials that match these heart-felt dedications…The inaugural year of the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program offers a unique opportunity to bring this talented historian back to Arizona. A native of Nogales, Parra has rich ties to the region and a sustaining interest in representing his community. He is an ideal choice for this program.”