2018 Graduate Achievement Award recipient
Philip’s study of Latin America explores the role of ideas in the independence movements of Colombia that emerged after the collapse of the Spanish monarchy in 1808. His dissertation, “Hesitant Independence in Spanish America,” examines how alumni from local colleges and naturalists created social networks that would become the backbone of a political infrastructure challenging Spain’s colonial hegemony in the region. Using local alliances, these motivated, young intellectuals forged the way for Colombia’s creation. External grants and fellowships from the Universidad del Rosario and Indiana University and support from the UM Graduate School and Arch Dalrymple III Department of History fund Philip’s research in the US, Spain, and Colombia.