Frederick Aldama’s work spans multiple genres. An internationally renowned scholar in multiethnic, postcolonial and Latina/o and Chicana/o literary and cultural studies, Aldama has had a profound influence on what scholars study and how they study it.

His writings on Mexican-American authors, race and sexuality, postcolonial fiction, graphic novels and narrative theory combine biology, neuroscience, popular cinema, comics and straight-up literary criticism with cultural nuance and political sensitivity. His most recent work has brought neuroscientific and narratological rigor to the analysis of highly influential and popular postmodern forms of literature such as comics, popular cinema and flash fiction.

According to one colleague, “Frederick has played a major role in inspiring others — not only his students but also his colleagues — to explore the role that cognitive theories can play in the understanding of narrative within any genre.”

Aldama’s scholarship has received national and international recognition, including the Modern Language Association Prize in United States Latina and Latino and Chicana and Chicano Literary and Cultural Studies, and the Southwest Book Award. He has delivered more than 40 invited lectures and plenary and keynote addresses, and serves on the editorial and advisory boards for the three most significant peer-reviewed journals in narrative theory: Journal of Narrative Theory; LIT: Literature, Interpretation, Theory; and Narrative.

Aldama is the founder and director of the Latino and Latin American Studies Space for Enrichment and Research (LASER), an Ohio State-based collaborative that sponsors programming for faculty, staff and students and provides an innovative student mentoring program.  

Aldama received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and his PhD from Stanford University. He joined Ohio State in 2005.

The Distinguished Scholar Award, established in 1978, recognizes exceptional scholarly accomplishments by senior professors who have compiled a substantial body of research. The award is supported by the Office of Research. Recipients are nominated by their departments and chosen by a committee of senior faculty, including several past recipients of the award. Distinguished Scholars receive a $3,000 honorarium and a research grant of $20,000 to be used over the next three years.