Lisa Covert
Professor
Lisa Covert earned her Ph.D. from Yale University. She specializes in Latin American history and is an affiliate of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Urban Studies, and the Women’s and Gender Studies programs.
Dr. Covert's book, (University of Nebraska Press, 2017), examines how a once small, quiet Mexican town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to one of Mexico's largest foreign populations. The study explores the intersections of economic development strategies and national identity formation, revealing new insights into how towns and cities grappled with change in the twentieth century.
Dr. Covert is currently working on two projects driven by the following questions: who gets to define cultural patrimony, who gets to benefit, and how does this help us understand changing power dynamics between international organizations, national governments, and local communities? The first project examines conflicting visions for rebuilding Cusco, Peru in the aftermath of the 1950 earthquake. The second project seeks to reimagine ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s history and urban space from the “people’s” perspective.
Dr. Covert is currently serving as the President of the .
Education
Ph.D. Yale University, 2010
M.Phil. History, Yale University, 2006
M.A. History, Yale Univeristy, 2006
B.A. History, California State University, Long Beach, 2003
Research Interests
Latin American History
Mexican History
U.S.-Latin American relations
Cold War
Tourism
Urban History
Economic Development
Cultural Heritage
Disasters
Courses Taught
Latin America since Independence
The Modern City
Revolutionary Lives
Latin American History through Film
Transnational Histories of the Americas
Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Latin America
Honors and Awards
Rockefeller Archive Center Research Grant, 2022
Fulbright Global Scholar Research Award (Peru, France), 2019
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Faculty Research Grant, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2025
Leylan Dissertation Fellowship, Yale University, 2008-2009
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship, 2007-2008
Andrew W. Mellon Dissertation Research Fellowship in Latin American History, 2006-2007
Myrna F. Bernath Dissertation Fellowship, Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations, 2007
Publications
, The Mexican Experience Series, University of Nebraska Press, 2017
“Whose Revolution? Revisiting Historical Categories,” American Historical Review, forthcoming
“,” Rockefeller Archive Center Research Reports, March 2023
“,” Histórica, Vol. 46, No. 2, December 2022
“,” The Latin Americanist, Vol. 65, No. 1, 2021
Turismo y Patrimonio, Vol. 13, 2019, doi: 10.24265/turpatrim.2019.n13.06
“The GI Bill Abroad: A Postwar Experiment in Foreign Relations,” Diplomatic History, January 2015, doi: 10.1093/dh/dhu074
"The Political Economy of Mexico's Independence Heroes: Sellling Public History in San Miguel de Allende," The Latin Americanist, Vol. 54, No. 4, December 2010
"Colonial Outpost to Artists' Mecca: Conflict and Collaboration in the Development of San Miguel de Allende's Tourist Industry" in Holiday in Mexico: Critical Reflections on Tourism and Tourist Encounters. Edited by Dina Berger and Andrew G. Wood, Duke University Press, 2010
Blog Contributions:
“,” H-LatAm Research Corner, January 2021“,” H-LatAm Research Corner, January 2021
“,” Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World Program Blog, April 2018
“,” Cuba en el Horizonte: Faculty Perspectives, June 2017
“,” University of Nebraska Press Blog, February 2017
“” History News Network, December 2016
“,” History News Network, October 2008