Arturo Sebastian Gonzalez
PhD Candidate at the University of Miami's Department of History. I study how migrants effect political change across international borders. My research focuses on the history of Latin America, the United States, and transnational exchanges. I have published and given public lectures on the topics of imperialism, nationalism, and diplomacy. Please send any inquiries via email: arturogonzalez@miami.edu.
Education
- PhD History
University of Miami, 2022 – Present
Dissertation: “Cuban Colonies: Transnational Statecraft and Émigré Nationalisms of the Cuban Republic, 1898–1961” - M.A. History
University of Miami, 2025 - B.A. History, Summa Cum Laude
University of Florida, 2021
Thesis: “Cables from Cuba: Cross-Strait Solidarity and Politics in Ybor City, 1898-1961”
Publications
- 2025Gonzalez, Arturo Sebastian. “Mysterious Munitions in Sleepy St. Pete: the Story of a 1924 Filibustering Campaign.” Tampa Bay History 33 no.1 (April 4, 2025): Article 3.
- 2021---. “Teaching to Toil: Plantation Labor as a Moral Obligation in Post-Emancipation Antigua.” Alpata: A Journal of History 17 (Fall 2021): 108-123.
- Book Reviews
- tbdGonzalez, Arturo Sebastian. “Miami as Harbinger of the Modern United States [Book Review: Castro, Mauricio. Only a Few Blocks to Cuba: Cold War Refugee Policy, the Cuban Diaspora, and the Transformations of Miami. Politics and Culture in Modern America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024; Mas, Catherine. Culture in the Clinic: Miami and the Making of Modern Medicine. Studies in Social Medicine. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2022].” Cuban Studies 55 (2025, in press).
- tbd---. Book Review: [Gomez, Andrew. Constructing Cuban America: Race and Identity in Florida’s Caribbean South, 1868-1945. First edition. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2024.] Florida Historical Quarterly 102 no.3/4 (Winter 2025, in press).
Conference Presentations
- 2025Gonzalez, Arturo, et al. “Transnational Research Trends in Cuban Studies.” Presentation, 72nd Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS), Mexico City, Mexico. 25 April 2025.
- 2025Gonzalez, Arturo Sebastian. “At the Margins of Inclusion in Ybor City: White, Liberal Hegemony in New Deal Ethnography.” Paper Presented at Questioning Whiteness in the Americas panel, 23rd Annual South Florida Tri-University Conference, Coral Gables, Florida. 28 March 2025.
- 2024---. “‘No Cubans Allowed’: Diplomatic Interventions and Racial Boundaries in Jim Crow Florida.” Paper presented at Living in the Age of Jim Crow panel, Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting and Symposium, Orlando, FL. 19 October 2024.
- 2024---. “Rise of an American Empire.” Guest Lecture, HIS 102: US History After 1877, University of Miami, 14 February 2024.
- 2023---. “Consulates and Conflict:Cuban Institutional Transnationalism during the 1924 Veterans' Rebellion.” Paper presented at Department of History Graduate Student Research Symposium, University of Miami. 6 December 2023.
- 2023---. “Everyday Tasks and Hidden Agendas: Cuban Consulates’ Florida Operations.” Paper presented at Florida and 20th Century International Events panel, Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting and Symposium, Orlando, FL. 20 October 2023.
- 2021---. “Cables from Cuba: Cross-Strait Solidarity and Politics in Ybor City, 1898-1961.” Paper presented at the Race and Society panel, History Honors Conference, University of Florida. 10 April 2021.
- 2021---. “Cables from Cuba: Cross-Strait Solidarity and Politics in Ybor City, 1898-1961.” Paper presented at the Virtual Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium, University of Florida. 25 March 2021.
- 2020---. “Cables from Cuba: Trans-Atlantic Connections and the End of Cross-Racial Unity in Cuban Tampa, 1898-1961.” Paper presented at the Virtual Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium, University of Florida. 17 November 2020.
Media Appearances
- Documentaries
- 2025"Celebrating a Century of Hialeah." WPLG Local 10 News, Miami, Florida. 07 September 2025.
- Podcasts
- 2025Gonzalez, Arturo (Guest) and Adelina Tratarou (Host). “What is ‘Public History’?: A Perspective From Cuban Studies.” Clio (Podcast). 18 March 2025.
- 2025Gonzalez, Arturo (Guest) and Sebastian Garcia (Host). “Cubans in Jim Crow Florida.” Florida Frontiers Radio Program #576. 17 January 2025.
- 2024Gonzalez, Arturo (Guest) and Sebastian Garcia (Host). “Cuban Consulates in Key West.” Florida Frontiers Radio Program #548. 31 May 2024.
Public History Work
- Fotodiario, Cuban Studies Magazine
- Gonzalez, Arturo. “Slavery-themed Restaurant.” Fotodiario, Online exhibit, University of Florida, Cuban Studies. 7 March 2024.
- ---. “Enslavement as Entertainment.” Fotodiario, Online exhibit, University of Florida, Cuban Studies. 7 March 2024.
- ---. “Sale of a Human Being as Decoration.” Fotodiario, Online exhibit, University of Florida, Cuban Studies. 7 March 2024.
- ---. “Dining with Cimarrones.” Fotodiario, Online exhibit, University of Florida, Cuban Studies. 7 March 2024.
- ---. “Cimarronería and Orthodox Nationalism.” Fotodiario, Online exhibit, University of Florida, Cuban Studies. 7 March 2024.
2024 - Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, University of Florida
- Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. First Gen Success: Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars Program at 15 Years! SPOHP111, November 7, 2021.
- Gonzalez, Arturo, Ash Layne, Caitlyn Seibert, Courtney Walsh, and Sam Johnson. Trailblazers: A 15-Year Legacy of First Gen Opportunity. SPOHP111, April 20, 2021.
- Nguyen, Phuong. “An Oral History with Phuong Nguyen March 29, 2021.” By Arturo Gonzalez. SPOHP111, 7 April 2021.
- Merilan, Mohamad. “An Oral History with Mohamad Merilan March 22, 2021.” By Arturo Gonzalez. SPOHP111, 23 March 2021.
- Zucker, Anita. “An Oral History with Anita Zucker March 17, 2021.” By Paul Ortiz and Arturo Gonzalez. SPOHP111, 18 March 2021.
- Cruz, Adrian. “An Oral History with Adrian Cruz. March 4, 2021.” By Arturo Gonzalez. SPOHP111, 8 Marsh 2021.
- Smeda, Karen. “An Oral History with Karen Smeda February 27, 2021.” By Arturo Gonzalez. SPOHP111, 8 March 2021.
2021
Awards, Grants, and Fellowships
- 2025Goizueta Graduate Research Fellowship, Cuban Heritage Collection, August 2025 – December 2025 ($17500)
- 2025Top Presentation, 23rd Annual South Florida Tri-University Conference, March 2025 ($150)
- 2024Dean's Fellow Travel Support, Graduate School, University of Miami, January 2024 ($1500)
- 2024Dean’s Fellowship, University of Miami, August 2024 – May 2026 ($76,000)
- 2024Leland Hawes Essay Prize, University of South Florida, July 2024 ($1000)
- 2024Levine Latin American History Fund Summer Grant, University of Miami Department of History, May 2024 ($1600)
- 2023Chair’s Travel Award, University of Miami Department of History, October 2023 ($500)
- 2023Levine Latin American History Fund Summer Grant, University of Miami, May 2023 ($2700)
- 2022Holmes Fellowship, University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences, August 2022–May 2024 ($10,000)
- 2021President’s Scholar Award for Latin American History, University of Florida, April 2021
- 2021Dean’s Medal for Excellence in Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, April 2021
- 2020Daniel J. Koleos Research Award, UF Department of History, May 2020 ($1000)
- 2020University Scholars Program Research Grant, University of Florida, March 2020 ($1750)
- 2018Benacquisto Scholarship, University of Florida, August 2018
Teaching Experience
- Teaching Assistant, University of Miami
- 2024“United States After 1877”, Department of History, Spring 2024.
- 2023“Hawai`i and its Pacfic Worlds: or, How Surfing Colonized California and the World”, Department of History, Fall 2023.
Other Service
- Graduate Student Association, University of Miami
Senator, representing the Department of History
August 2023 – Present - Honor Council, University of Miami
Coral Gables Empaneled Member
August 2025 – Present - Graduate Activity Fee Allocation Committee, University of Miami
Member
August 2025 – Present
Languages
- English – Native
- Spanish – Fluent
- Portuguese – Elementary
Legal FieldNon-Academic Experiences
- Notary Public
Gubernatorial appointee
August 2019 – August 2023 - Mock Trial
Judge, Coach, Captain, Competitor
May 2016 – February 2022- Mock Trial Handbook
Senior Editor and Chapter Contributor
LitiGators. “University of Florida Mock Trial New Member Curriculum.” Internal distribution, 25 November 2020, PDF. - American Mock Trial Association Orlando Regional, Bid to ORCS, 2021
- American Mock Trial Association Orlando Regional, 1st place, 2020
- Empire Mock Trial World Champion, 2018
- National High School Mock Trial Championship, 6th place, 2018
- Mock Trial Handbook
- Empire Mock Trial, LLC.
Logistics Officer
September 2020 – February 2022 - Ritter, Zaretsky, Lieber & Jaime, LLP.
Paralegal, temp.
July 2019 – August 2019
- Aisle 14, “Bartender's Oath,” Track 3 on Ailse 14, 2023. On Spotify!
- Southeastern Grocers, Winn-Dixie
Bartender
January 2022 – May 2022
- Podcasts