Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Wilmington, N.C. - Jonathan Eastwood, assistant professor of sociology at Washington and Lee University, has been named the sixth Sherman Emerging Scholar in the Department of history at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He was selected for this distinction through a national competition.

As a Sherman Emerging Scholar, Eastwood will be on campus to deliver a public lecture on Venezuela titled, "Venezuela and Hugo Chavez: Reform or Revolution?" at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18 in the Warwick Center Ballroom on the UNC Wilmington campus.

A reception will immediately follow the lecture in the lobby of the Warwick Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Eastwood's topic concerns the leadership of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who aspires to transform his country and play an important regional role in the Western Hemisphere. His eight-year presidency has been a controversial one, both in Venezuela and the United States. An expert in the history of Venezuelan nationalism, Eastwood will explore several aspects of Chavez's relationship with the Venezuelan past, including his identification with Simon Bolivar, the Latin American revolutionary who brought independence to Venezuela in the early 19th century.

"The 'Bolivarian Revolution' led by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela is among the most complex and important developments in recent years in Latin America - and maybe the world," said Eastwood. "This revolution, and Chavez himself, are often misunderstood."

During the summer of 2007, Eastwood studied in and did research on Venezuela through a Fulbright Research Grant. In 2006, he published "The Rise of Nationalism in Venezuela" through the University Press of Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in history and sociology from Boston University in 2004.

The lecture series, an annual event during the week marking United Nations Day, is designed to provide a forum for promising new scholars to present their perspectives on current issues in the fields of modern history, politics and international relations to the university community and the public. In addition to the public lecture, Eastwood will be present a colloquium for UNCW faculty and will speak at a roundtable discussion with a small group of Latin American scholars.

The Sherman Emerging Scholars Lecture Series is the first endowed lecture series for the UNCW history department. Announced in April 2002, the series is named in honor of the late Derrick and Virginia Sherman, who made Wilmington their home after retirement. The endowment was established in honor of the Shermans by their son, Philip D. Sherman and his wife, Birgitta L. Sherman, and their daughter, Ann Sherman Skiba and her husband, Guenther Skiba.

Media contacts:

Dr. Taylor Fain, assistant professor of history, at 919.962.3305 or fainwt@uncw.edu.

Dana Fischetti, manager of news and media relations, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu.