Silvia Pedraza

Silvia Pedraza is Professor of Sociology and American Culture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research interests include the sociology of immigration, race, and ethnicity in America, with particular focus on Latinas/os in the U.S. as well as gender.  Her research also includes the the sociology of revolutions, with particular focus on Cuba and Venezuela's revolution and the role the refugee exodus played in consolidating and undermining them. She places particular stress on comparative studies, both historical and contemporary. At present, she is Associate Editor of Social Science History, the journal of the Social Science History Association.

Her research seeks to understand the causes and consequences of migration as a historical process that forms and transforms nations. She is the author of several books, including Political Disaffection in Cuba's Revolution and Exodus (Cambridge University Press, 2007), and Revolutions in Cuba and Venezuela: One Hope, Two Realities, together with Carlos A. Romero, Universidad Central de Venezuela (University Press of Florida, 2023). She is also the author of various articles, including "Transnationalism and Gender: Economic, Political, and Social Challenges," part of the edited collection by Min Zhou and Hasan Mahmoud, Beyond Economic Migration: Social, Historical, and Political Factors in Immigration to the United States (New York University Press, 2023).  An article that focuses on the transnationalism of Cuban immigrants and the island has just been accepted by Cuban Studies as part of a dossier of five articles she organized on the theme of "Is Cuba in Transition?" Forthcoming in volume 54, 2024.

In the American Sociological Association (ASA), she was elected Chair of several Sections: the Latina/o Sociology, Race and Ethnic Minorities, and the International Migration Sections. She was also elected and served on its Council and the Nominations Committee. In the Social Science History Association (SSHA), she was elected to the Executive Committee. She also served on the Distinguished Book Award Committee, and is now on the Editorial Board of their journal, Social Science History. She was elected and served as President of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy and society (ASCE). 

She teaches courses on American Immigration: Historical and Sociological Perspectives, and Latinas/os in the U.S.: Social Problems and Social Issues as well as Transforming America: Immigrants Then and Now. She was just now President of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy and society (ASCE). 

Affiliations:

Core Faculty: Program in Latina/o Studies (LS)

Professor Pedraza holds a joint appointment in the Departments of Sociology and American Culture (AC)