History Professor Eric Zolov Wins María Elena Martínez Prize for Recent Book

Eric Zolov, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of History, was recently awarded the 2021 María Elena Martínez Prize for his 2020 book, The Last Good Neighbor: Mexico in the Global Sixties. This award is bestowed annually by the Conference on Latin American History (CLAH-AHA) for the most significant work on the history of Mexico in the previous year. 

 “Winning the Martínez Prize for best book in Mexican History is a major feat for Eric Zolov’s most recent book, The Last Good Neighbor,” said Paul Gootenberg, distinguished professor and chair, Department of History. “The Department of History prides itself on the broad significance of its research and has an internationally renowned tradition of research excellence in Latin American history. Professor Zolov’s book exemplifies that.”

Zolov received his PhD from the University of Chicago. His research and teaching interests focus on the interplay between culture, politics and international relations in 20th-century Latin America, with a particular emphasis on the Cold War period, as encompassed by the phrase “Global Sixties.” His research is highly interdisciplinary, seeking to make connections between ideological articulations, consumptive practices and broadly defined notions of power. These ideas are expressed in The Last Good Neighbor: Mexico in the Global Sixties.

During Fall 2019, Zolov was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile. He has a forthcoming book, The Walls of Santiago: Social Revolution and Political Graphics in Contemporary Chile (Berghahn, 2022) with Terri Gordon-Zolov, in which they explore the significance of the 2019 social uprising in Chile viewed through the lens of protest street graphics.

Established in 2009 as the Mexican History Prize, the prize was renamed in 2015 in memoriam of María Elena Martínez. The CLAH is a professional association devoted to encouraging the diffusion of knowledge about Latin America through fostering the study and improving the teaching of Latin American history. The Conference is a non-political, autonomous, incorporated, tax-exempt and non-profit society affiliated with the American Historical Association.