UCLA professor of Spanish and Portuguese, Héctor Calderón, wins award for latest book
Héctor Calderón
| October 14, 2019
Héctor Calderón, a UCLA professor of Spanish American, Mexican, and Chicana/o literature and cultures, was awarded first place for Best Academic Themed Book at the 21st Annual International Latino Book Awards on Sept. 21.
“The Aztlán Mexican Studies Reader, 1974-2016,” (UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press, 2018) which was edited and is introduced by Professor Calderón, is made up of a series of 16 essays that explore the connection and impact Chicana/o studies have on understanding the cultural and political history of Mexico. The essays, three of which were commissioned specifically for the reader, discuss topics ranging from Mexican arts forms to issues spanning the border such as immigration, racism and femicide.
In addition to having been awarded first place in the Best Academic Themed Book category, “The Aztlán Mexican Studies Reader, 1974-2016” was also awarded second place in the category Best Latino Focused Nonfiction Book – English.
The International Latino Book Awards has grown into one of the largest Latino cultural awards in the U.S., with Professor Calderón’s work being chosen from a field over 260 finalists spanning 95 different categories.
The reader was also recognized at the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards in May. “The Aztlán Mexican Studies Reader, 1974-2016,” was awarded bronze in the Book Series category for nonfiction.
The Humanities Division would like to congratulate Professor Calderón on these achievements and commend the work he has done to positively impact the academic study of Chicana/o and Mexican cultures.