Javier Alvarez Jaimes

Dr. Javier Álvarez-Jaimes is an associate professor at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), where he teaches courses on Latin American literature, culture, and Spanish language. His academic approach emphasizes inclusive learning, integrating diverse cultural perspectives to engage a broad student population. He also serves as NCCU’s alternate delegate to the UNC Faculty Assembly.

Dr. Álvarez’s research focuses on decolonial studies, exploring the literary and cultural production of Afro-Hispanic and indigenous communities from the Andes to the Caribbean, spanning the 19th to 21st centuries. His work examines how these communities challenge dominant societal narratives through their artistic and literary contributions. He has presented his research at conferences in France, Spain, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. In summer 2025, Dr. Álvarez-Jaimes conducted a research residence at the University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies, supported by a UF Library Research Travel Grant.

He holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies from the University of British Columbia, an M.A. in Spanish from the University of Arkansas, and a B.A. in Modern Languages from the Universidad del Atlántico in his native Colombia. Before NCCU, Dr. Álvarez taught at the University of Georgia and Eastern Kentucky University, where he coordinated the Spanish program and co-led the University of Georgia’s summer immersion program in Costa Rica.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Álvarez taught secondary education in Colombia and gained international teaching experience in Mexico. With a background in studio art from Barranquilla, Colombia, he has painted murals in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Georgia, and Kentucky, weaving artistic exploration into his academic work. In spring 2024, he co-taught a course with Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez Espitia at UNC Chapel Hill, focusing on street art from a Latin American perspective, a subject on which he has published several papers.

Fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese — the latter studied through a 2022 fellowship at Middlebury College — Dr. Álvarez is also an active community member, serving on the City of Durham Human Relations Commission.

Dr. Álvarez’s accolades include the 2023–2024 College Educators Research Fellowship from the UNC-Duke Consortium of Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the 2024 Excellence in Research Award from NCCU’s College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences.