Aug. 22, 2012

Professor Documents Hispanic Migration to Northern Virginia

Associate Professor Enrique Pumar

Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology Enrique Pumar recently received a $52,000 grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Latino Center to direct the second phase of its Latino History Project. This project is documenting the footprint of Hispanic migration to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. Pumar will be focusing on the presence of Hispanics in Northern Virginia. He will coordinate field research including archival research, interviews, and focus groups, and will organize workshops at the Smithsonian throughout the coming year. "This Hispanic group [in Northern Virginia] is among the more diverse groups - in terms of ethnic nationality and social stratification - anywhere in the United States," Pumar says. "Studying Hispanic migration to Northern Virginia tells us something important about why immigrants settle in new gateway destinations."Pumar is a member of the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Institution's Latino Center. The center was created in 1997 and its works spread across the entire network of Smithsonian museums, research centers, programs, and almost 200 affiliates nationwide to ensure that Latino culture, achievement, and contributions are celebrated and recognized, according to its website."This is the latest recognition of the significance of Professor Pumar's work on Hispanic/Latino populations in the Washington area," says Lawrence R. Poos, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. "It reminds us of how important his research - and the entire topic - is to the University's mission of engaging with the changing face of historically Catholic groups in the United States."Pumar serves on the editorial board of Sociological Forum and is the consulting editor for sociology to the Library of Congress Handbook of Latin American Studies .Pumar has published extensively in the areas of political sociology, economies of national development, and race relations. He is the editor of the forthcoming book Hispanic Migration and Urban Development (Emerald Press).