Silvia Tandeciarz receives 2021 Plumeri Award
Silvia Tandeciarz, Chancellor Professor of Modern Languages & Literatures, has received the 2021 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence in recognition of her outstanding record in innovative teaching, cutting-edge research, and exemplary service. The official citation of her award reads:
“A public-facing humanities scholar in the field of Latin American Cultural Studies, Professor Tandeciarz has published widely on the intersections between memorial and human rights initiatives in the Americas. Her most recent book, “Citizens of Memory: Affect, Representation, and Human Rights in Postdictatorship Argentina” (2017), studies how remembrance, redress and social justice inform recovery from collective trauma. Her work as a translator amplifies her impact on the interdisciplinary field of memory studies. The co-translations of Chilean philosopher Nelly Richard brought two of the most important 20th-century treatises on authoritarianism, gender and representation to English-speaking audiences; and her translations of award-winning Puerto Rican poet Juana Goergen expand our shared understandings of the American experience. Her impact on student learning has been equally significant. In addition to teaching her research, Tandeciarz has partnered with scholars, activists and practitioners here and abroad that offer students signature opportunities highlighting the privileges and responsibilities of global citizenship. Chief among these are a semester-long study abroad program in La Plata, Argentina, focused on human rights; a border studies program focused on issues related to migration; and a National Security Archive Research Internship that trains students to decipher recently declassified government documents that enhance and transform our collective memory of repression in the Southern Cone. Professor Tandeciarz holds a B.A. and M.A. in English from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in literature from Duke University. She has worked at William & Mary since 1999.
Alyssa Broker ('22) describes her experience under Prof. Tandeciarz's mentorship.
