Margarita López Maya is a Venezuelan historian who is a retired professor at the

Central University of Venezuela Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. She is known for her work on Venezuelan history, especially with respect to

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

Early life and education

López Maya was born in New York on June 6, 1951. She moved to Venezuela when she was six. Lopez Maya has an undergraduate degree (1981) and a Ph.D. (1995) from

Universidad Central de Venezuela Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

Career

López Maya was on the academic staff of the Central University of Venezuela from 1982 until her retirement in 2010. She served as editor of the journal ''Revista Venezolana de Economía y Ciencias Sociales'' from 2000 until 2004. From 2002 until 2023 Lopez Maya served as the president of the

Latin American Studies Association The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest association for scholars of Latin American studies. Founded in 1966, it has over 12,000 members, 45 percent of whom reside outside the United States (36 percent in Latin America and the ...

Research

López Maya is known for her research and teaching in the field of the contemporary socio-historical and socio-political processes of Latin America, particularly Venezuela where she has focused on issues such as popular protest, new left-wing parties, political projects against hegemonies, social actors, and issues of conjuncture of the Chavista era. López Maya met Hugo Chávez on March 25, 1996, two years before he was elected in the 1998 presidential elections, and interviewed him. In 2013 she spoke about the impact of the 2013 Venezuelan presidential election and the implications for the country.

Selected publications

* * * * * Chapter by Lopez Maya in reviewed book, reviews of book * *

References

Living people Women historians Central University of Venezuela alumni Academic staff of the Central University of Venezuela {{Academic-bio-stub