A professor recently appointed chair of Mexico-United States relations at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs wants to inspire change in Latin America through her research work at Syracuse University.

Gladys McCormick, a historian and Maxwell associate professor, was appointed as the Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. relations earlier this month. Torture, political violence and drug trafficking are only a few of her research interests within Latin American studies.

With ties to contemporary issues of immigration and income inequality, McCormick’s historical research brings new attention to problems surrounding the two countries’ relationship, which has been under strain since President Donald Trump announced his candidacy in 2015.

“Her work has the potential to shape how policymakers on both sides of the border think about coordinating and collaborating to improve the human security of Mexicans in the country and the United States,” said Maxwell Dean David Van Slyke in an SU News release.

As an immigrant who gained U.S. citizenship a few years ago, McCormick said she sympathizes with students affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Last semester, McCormick worked on SU’s DACA ad hoc committee, which was created to coordinate university efforts to help students affected by the Trump administration’s immigration-related executive orders.

McCormick has also taken issue with President Donald Trump’s rhetoric regarding immigration and trade between Mexico and the U.S.

“These two economies and these two nations are, by their very nature, politically, socially and economically linked,” McCormick said. “We depend on each other in a sort of symbiotic relationship.”

She lived in Mexico for several years, during which she developed an appreciation for the country and its people, she said. The bulk of her research straddles the border, relying on declassified intelligence reports and interviews with individuals on both sides of the law.

While she sees Mexico as a second home, McCormick was born in Costa Rica, a country with a history of intense civil war. Having witnessed the effects of violence firsthand, McCormick said she is driven by her personal connection to the region of Latin America to enact change through her research.

“It is a testament to the vision of the Maxwell dean and the associate deans to have seen the potential I bring to the table,” McCormick said.

McCormick has been teaching a variety of courses at SU since 2010. Currently, she is teaching an undergraduate Colonial Latin America course and a graduate seminar on political violence.

She also has served as co-director of the documentary film and history program at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“Our students benefitted greatly (from McCormick’s work) because the students who graduated from the program have the research skills and the ability to see the world through the eyes of a historian and the storytelling and technical skills of a filmmaker,” said Richard Breyer, a Newhouse professor who worked as co-director of the program with McCormick.

As chair, McCormick has plans to design a course on Mexico-U.S. relations and a graduate-level course on drug trafficking. One of her broader goals is to create an interdisciplinary dialogue, both on and off campus, about the contemporary crises ailing Mexico.

Learning about issues such as the drug war can take a toll on anyone, but McCormick stays positive by focusing on the hope of a better future, she said.

Said McCormick: “The fact that there’s no end in sight for those who study contemporary Mexico makes us feel like we need to do something to help this country, in part, because we love it so much.”

Published on September 27, 2017 at 11:01 pm

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