Pitt Announces Recipient of the 2010 Eduardo Lozano Memorial Dissertation Prize

PITTSBURGH— Salomé Aguilera Skvirsky who recently earned her PhD in English at the University of Pittsburgh, is the recipient of the 2010 Eduardo Lozano Memorial Dissertation Prize, sponsored by Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies. The prize honors internationally renowned librarian Eduardo Lozano, who developed and directed the Latin American collection at the University’s Hillman Library from 1967 until his death in August 2006. 

Skvirsky was nominated for her dissertation, titled “The Ethnic Turn: Studies in Political Cinema From Brazil and the U.S., 1960-2005.” Prior to her studies at Pitt, Skvirsky received her bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in film at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently an assistant professor of film and media studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. 

The Eduardo Lozano Memorial Dissertation Prize is awarded annually for the best doctoral dissertation at Pitt on a topic related to Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latin American communities in other countries. The prize, which includes a cash award of $1,250, is cofunded by contributions from Pitt’s Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures in the School of Arts and Sciences and other donations. 

For the first time since the prize’s inception in 2007, the committee of Pitt faculty members awarded an honorable mention. The recipient is María Andrea Castagnola, who recently earned her PhD in political science at Pitt. Her dissertation is titled “Rethinking Judicial Instability in Developing Democracies: A National and Subnational Analysis of Supreme Courts in Argentina.” 

A bound copy of Skvirsky’s dissertation will be on display in the Latin American Reading Room of Hillman Library, 3960 Forbes Ave., Oakland. The room, inaugurated in September 2002, represents the fulfillment of Lozano’s aspiration for a place where Latin Americans and those interested in Latin America can meet and exchange ideas. 

Lozano was born in Buenos Aires in 1925. In addition to being a distinguished librarian, he was a renowned painter and poet. 

For more information on this year’s prize or next year’s competition, contact John Frechione at 412-648-7395 or jfrech@pitt.edu. 

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11/10/11/tmw/lks