José Antonio Cancino Alfaro

Graduate Student

jc5502@columbia.edu

606 Hamilton Hall

Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., or by appointment.

Interests

• Encyclopedic Writing and Intellectual History

• Neo-Latin Literature, especially in or about Latin America

• Temporality and Politics in Neronian Literature
  

José is a fourth-year PhD student in the Classics Department. He received his BA in Hispanic Languages and Literature from the Universidad de Chile (2016; with distinction). In his undergraduate dissertation, he analyzed the reception of classical models in Gregorio Correr’s neo-Latin tragedy Procne (c. 1429). Later, he received his MPhil in Greek and/or Latin Languages and Literature from the University of Oxford (2020; with distinction). His dissertation focused on the competing representations of the future in Neronian Literature and was awarded the Oxford Gaisford Graduate Dissertation Prize.

José’s present research interests lie at the intersection between Latin literature, encyclopedic writings, and intellectual history. He is preparing a dissertation project on Latin encyclopedism in Colonial South America.

At Columbia, José has worked as a Teaching Assistant for ‘History of Literary Criticism I: From Plato to Kant’ (Prof. Eden) and ‘Intermediate Latin II’ (Prof. Volk). He has also taught Elementary and Intermediate Latin as an instructor of record.

During the 2023–24 academic year, he teaches ancient Greek, serves as one of the Classics Graduate Representatives, and is the rapporteur of the Columbia University Seminar in Classical Civilization.

José is very happy to correspond with people about any of his research interests, such as Classics and Latin America, or Columbia Classics. You may email him at jc5502@columbia.edu.