Lydia Otero

Lydia R. Otero was a faculty member in the Department of Mexican American Studies at the University of Arizona from 2003 to 2020. They specialized in Public History, Latine Urbanization and Placemaking. Otero’s essays on (Re)claiming Place and History, Heritage Conservation and Collective Memory have appeared in various book anthologies and scholarly journals. In 2011, their book La Calle: Spatial Conflicts and Urban Renewal in a Southwestern City won a Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association. After concluding their tenure with the department, Otero published two memoirs that blend personal experiences with historical archives. They released In the Shadows of the Freeway: Growing Up & Queer in 2019, and L.A. Interchanges: A Brown & Queer Archival Memoir in 2023. More information at https://www.lydiaotero.com/.