Oral History Interview, Eduardo Neale-Silva (75)

Abstract

In his 1976 oral history interview, Eduardo Neale-Silva discusses his time as a professor in the Spanish-Portuguese Department at UW-Madison. He shares about coming to the U.S. from Chile and his appointment at UW. He describes the ignorance toward Latin America from faculty, specifically by those who specialized in Latin America. Neale-Silva explains his translation work on the poems of Vallejo and shares memories about the vibrant Latin American interest group which brought professors and students together. He discusses his role in the establishment of the 1st Spanish-Portuguese department in the US, which split off from the Romance Languages Department. He describes the high quality of the S-P department, but shares concerns about the current state of the department in terms of rigor, student ability, and staffing. Finally, Neale-Silva details his experience with the TAA, their demands, and how they were received by different factions of faculty members. He chaired a committee with graduate student representatives in the department, and most this committee’s recommendations were accepted and led to change. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the UW-Madison Archives and Records Management Oral History Program.