Biography
Carmelo Esterrich is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Cultural Studies in the Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences. He teaches courses in Interdisciplinary Humanities, Cultural Studies, Latin American Studies, and all levels of Spanish language. Dr. Esterrich has been at Columbia since 1998, and is one of the founding mothers and fathers of the Cultural Studies program at Columbia.
His research and publication focuses on the cultural and artistic production in Latin America—especially film, literature, visual arts and popular music. His article, "Rock with Punk with Pop with Folklore: Transformations and Renewal in Aterciopelados and Café Tacuba," was selected to be reprinted in Stephen Duncombe's book White Riot: Punk Rock and the Politics of Race. His book Concrete and Countryside: The Urban and the Rural in 1950s Puerto Rican Culture was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2018. The book deals the complex (and often contradictory) representations of rural and urban spaces, subjects and practices in the context of the rapid modernization of the island during the midcentury. He is currently writing on documentary filmmaking by Latin American women, and is beginning a project on contemporary Brazilian cinema.
Carmelo Esterrich is a regular member of the selecting committee for the Chicago Latino Film Festival.
He earned his PhD in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, focusing on Latin American literatures and cultures. Dr. Esterrich also holds a BA in Film Studies (Honors) from The Pennsylvania State University.
Carmelo is from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Instructional Areas
Latin American Studies Cultural Studies Semiotics Interdisciplinary Humanities
Creative Practice and Research Interests
Latin American Cinema Latin American Popular Music Urban Studies Cinema Studies
Degrees
B.A., Film Pennsylvania State University 1987
M.A., Spanish Pennsylvania State University 1989
Ph.D., Spanish University of Wisconsin-Madison 1994