Biography
Dr. Kirwin Shaffer is professor of Latin American studies. He teaches courses on Latin American and Caribbean history, Latin American studies, global terrorism, tyranny and freedom, globalization, and global cinema.
When not teaching, Dr. Shaffer conducts research on transnational anarchism in the Americas. He has published four books on anarchist politics and culture in Latin America:
- Anarchism and Countercultural Politics in Early Twentieth-Century Cuba (University Press of Florida, 2005) and re-issued as Anarchist Cuba: Countercultural Politics in the Early Twentieth Century (PM Press, 2019)
- Black Flag Boricuas: Anarchism, Antiauthoritarianism, and the Left in Puerto Rico, 1897-1921 (University of Illinois Press, 2013/2020)
- In Defiance of Boundaries: Anarchism in Latin American History (University Press of Florida 2015/2017) co-edited with Geoffroy de Laforcade
- Anarchists of the Caribbean: Countercultural Politics and Transnational Networks in the Age of U.S. Expansion (Cambridge University Press, 2020/2022).
In 2022, Dr. Shaffer published his fifth book: A Transnational History of the Modern Caribbean: Popular Resistance across Borders (Palgrave Macmillan/Springer). He is currently exploring a book project on a Latin American anarchist approach to global history (tentatively titled The World through Anarchist Eyes: Latin American Anarchism and Global History) as well as a project on food and anarchism in Latin American history (tentatively titled Feeding Rebellion, Cooking Up a Revolution: The Cultural Politics of Anarchist Food Workers and Activists in Latin America, 1900 - 1960).
Research Interests
Dr. Shaffer's research interests include Caribbean history and Latin American anarchism.
Publications
A Transnational History of the Modern Caribbean: Popular Resistance across Borders. Palgrave Macmillan/Springer, 2022.
Anarchists of the Caribbean: Countercultural Politics and Transnational Networks in the Age of US Expansion. Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Black Flag Boricuas: Anarchism, Antiauthoritarianism, and the Left in Puerto Rico, 1897-1921. University of Illinois Press, 2013 / 2020.
Anarchist Cuba: Countercultural Politics in the Early Twentieth Century. PM Press, 2019.
In Defiance of Boundaries: Anarchism in Latin American History. Co-edited with Geoffroy de Laforcade. University Press of Florida, 2015 / 2017.
Anarchism and Countercultural Politics in Early Twentieth-Century Cuba. University Press of Florida, 2005.
“Libertarian Entanglements in the Caribbean: Transnational Transfers, Geopolitical Imaginaries, and Anarchist Media in Havana” in Politics of Entanglements in the Americas: Transnational Flows and Local Perspectives Ed. Lukas Rehm, Jochen Kemner, Olaf Kaltmeier. Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2017: 171-186.
“Introduction: The Hidden Story Line of Anarchism in Latin America” (co-written with Geoffroy de Laforcade) in In Defiance of Boundaries: Anarchism in Latin American History. Geoffroy de Laforcade and Kirwin Shaffer (eds). University Press of Florida, 2015/2017: 1-22.
“Rebel Soul: Cultural Politics and Cuban Anarchism, 1890s-1920s” in In Defiance of Boundaries: Anarchism in Latin American History. Geoffroy de Laforcade and Kirwin Shaffer, eds. University Press of Florida, 2015/2017: 142-161.
“Panama Red: Anarchist Politics and Transnational Networks in the Panama Canal Zone, 1904-1913” in In Defiance of Boundaries: Anarchism in Latin American History. Geoffroy de Laforcade and Kirwin Shaffer, eds. University Press of Florida, 2015/2017: 48-71.
“An Anarchist Crucible: International Anarchist Migrants and Their Cuban Experiences, 1890s-1920s” in The Handbook on Cuban History, Literature, and the Arts: New Perspectives on Historical and Contemporary Social Change. Maricio A. Font and Araceli Tinajero, eds. Paradigm Press, 2014: 79-91.
“Latin Lines and Dots: Transnational Anarchism, Regional Networks, and Italian Libertarians in Latin America,” Zapruder World: A Transnational Journal for the History of Social Conflict Volume 1 (June 2014): online at http://www.brianjgriffith.com/ZWdev/content/kirwin-r-shaffer-latin-line…
"Tropical Libertarians: Anarchist Networks in the Circum-Caribbean, 1900-1915” in Trajectories of Freedom: Caribbean Societies, 1907-2007. Alan Cobley and Victor C. Simpson, eds. The University of the West Indies Press, 2013: 26-41.
Education
Ph.D., Latin American History, University of Kansas, 1998