Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar at Ursinus College

On October 20, 2025, the Tau of Pennsylvania Chapter at Ursinus College hosted Catherine S. Ramírez, PhD, Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, for a public lecture titled "Assimilation: An Alternative History."  The lecture was standing-room-only, with many Ursinus students and faculty members from the Spanish Language and Politics and International Relations departments attending and asking great questions.  A prime motivator for Dr. Ramírez to think more deeply about assimilation was Samuel Huntington's 2004 book Who Are We?, in which he expressed his opinion that Latinx immigrants were less likely to assimilate and warning that this could divide America into two cultures.  Dr. Ramírez's excellent and interactive talk attempted to open the audience to a more complex understanding of the definition and processes of assimilation.  Her lecture followed the outline of her most recent book, also called Assimilation: An Alternative History, and in it, she investigated not just immigrant assimilation, but also assimilation of indigenous peoples.  Very thought-provoking talk that kept many students around afterward asking questions into their evening.   

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