about me

John Hanning Speke, Kisanga, View of the Blue Mountains South 20' East (1858) (Royal Geographical Society)

I'm Miguel Ángel Chávez, an Assistant Professor of History at Cumberland University. Since 2022 I have been teaching a variety of different courses, ranging from survey Western and World Civ courses to classes on the History of Science, African History, and Historical Geography.

Previously, I was a doctoral candidate in History at Vanderbilt University. I was formerly the J. Léon Helguera Fellow at Vanderbilt’s History Department, as well as a William J. Vaughn Fellow at the Robert Penn Warren Center. I was a Dibner Research Fellow of the History of Science at the Huntington Library in 2019-2020.

In my dissertation, Professionalizing Science: British Geography, Africa, and the Exploration of the Nile (2023), I sought to understand the rhetoric, strategies, and techniques geographers used to position themselves as scientists, tracing this development from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century.

I am in the process of submitting drafts for publication, with the hope of publishing my dissertation as a manuscript. I will endeavor to update my progress here 🙂

For more information, please take a look at my research page: Link.

Outside of academia, I am an avid political junkie, a fan of modern art and design, coffee addict, and a sci-fi geek.

As a Chicano, I care deeply about issues affecting my community so this blog may, from time to time, veer away from history to contemporary politics.

c’est moi 😄

prolegomena is my personal website/blog, a place where I can expand on my research, and where I can comment upon the happenings of the world. 

If you have any questions or comments, you can find me in the following places: