John Lear

John Lear

Professor Emeritus, History

John Lear's research and teaching interests include Mexico, Cuba, post-independence Latin America, comparative labor and urban history, cultural politics, and gender and social movements. His newest book, Picturing the Proletariat: Artists and Labor in Post-Revolutionary Mexico, 1908-1940 (2017) considers relations between artists, the state and organized labor during this period. His first book, Chiles Free-Market Miracle: A Second Look (1995), examined neo-liberal policies in Chile. His second book, Workers, Neighbors and Citizens: The Revolution in Mexico City (2001), explored urban mobilization in the Mexican Revolution. He is currently working on a political biography of Diego Rivera, to be published by Verso. He has written a variety of editorials on contemporary Latin America for local newspapers. Lear taught a first-year seminar on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Other courses included Modern Latin America, Modern Mexico, History and Film, Art and Revolution in Latin American, and a travel seminar to Latin America. He speaks Spanish, French, and some Portuguese.

Education
BA Harvard College 1982
MA University of California, Berkeley 1986
PhD University of California, Berkeley 1993
Classes
Modern Latin America HIST 281-A Spring 2024
Latin America Art & Revolution LAS 387-A Spring 2024
Study Abroad/Off-Campus Study EXLN 297-D Summer 2024

Contact Information