Roberto Avant-Mier, instructor, communication

Ph.D., University of Utah

Specialization: Communication and cultural studies

Representative publication: “In Search of the Power of Whiteness: A Genealogical Exploration of Negotiated Racial Identities in America’s Ethnic Past,” Communication Quarterly

I’m a Mexican-American from West Texas, and I’m bilingual and bicultural. A lot of my work is  premised on the fact that people of Latin descent are misunderstood. Further, issues of language, of identity, of nationality, are all political to me. That’s the kind of stuff that motivates me.

My interest in this area developed gradually. After serving in the Marines, I received a bachelor’s degree but then decided I wanted more knowledge and learning. In graduate school, I became fascinated with the area of cultural studies. My research reflects that—I examine the intersection of communication with culture.

In my dissertation I focused on the communication of ideology and nationalism through popular music, such as the rock band Los Lobos.