Dr. Emilio Zamora, UT Professor in History, Appointed to the Clyde Rabb Littlefield Chair in Texas History

Great news! So happy to present the truly excellent news of my husband, Dr. Emilio Zamora, receiving an endowed chair at the University of Texas at Austin! You can learn more about his work from his page at the UT History Department, as well as from his Google Scholar profile. 

Very few scholars ever get such high-status recognition like this that provide valuable resources for meritorious scholars like Emilio that allow them to continue with, and deepen their, work to which they have committed their lives. Although I am, of course, biased, this couldn't have happened to a better scholar, particularly at this time when our histories and identities are under attack. So happy for, and proud of, you, Emilio! 

-Angela Valenzuela

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The University of Texas at Austin has appointed Emilio Zamora, Professor in History, to the Clyde Rabb Littlefield Chair in Texas History, effective Fall 2022. An endowed chair is one of the highest honors that a university can bestow on a faculty member. Dean Ann Stevens from the College of Liberal Arts announced that the appointment recognizes “extraordinary scholarly accomplishments and service.” Other institutions have recognized Dr. Zamora’s extensive record of scholarship and service to his profession and Mexican and Latino communities. These include: the 2017 Scholar of the Year Award from the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS); the 2017 NACCS Tejas Foco Premio Estrella de Aztlán Lifetime Achievement Award; the 2018 Award of Excellence from the City of Austin’s Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center; the 2019 Ruth A. Allen Pioneer in Texas Working Class History Award from the Texas Center for Working-Class Studies, Collin College; and the 2021 Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award from the Organization of American Historians. 

In addition to elevating Professor Zamora’s prestige as a historian and public intellectual, the Clyde Rabb Littlefield Chair in Texas History provides support for his research agenda which include two forthcoming books: a high school textbook on the history of Mexican Americans in Texas that he co-edits with Professor Andres Tijerina and co-authors with Drs. Sonia Hernández, Amy Porter and Guadalupe San Miguel; and a translated and edited study of En Defensa de Mi Raza, a two volume work (1936-37) by Alonso S. Perales, arguably the most influential Mexican American civil rights leader of the twentieth century and the principal founder of the League of United Latin American Citizens. The endowed chair is named after a major benefactor to the University of Texas, Mr. Clyde Rabb Littlefield (1931-2018), a command historian with the U.S. military, a member of the advisory board for the University's Center for American History and a respected member of the university community. When asked to comment on the appointment, Professor Zamora stated, “I am honored, of course, but I especially appreciate the recommendations by Professor Daina Berry, the Chair of the History Department, and Dean Ann Stevens. More than that, I share the honor with my family, Dr. Angela Valenzuela, my supportive life partner, and my Mexican cultural community that I respectfully represent and serve.

Please visit Dr. Zamora's UT History Department profile.