About

Victoria is a current Ph.D. student in History with a focus on Latin American history, specifically Mexico, during the Global Sixties. Her research looks at the transnational power of the Catholic Church in this period and its influence on right-wing and anti-communist student movements. She is interested in further exploring the power of religious institutions to affect global change and their impact on democracy. Victoria is also interested in public history and is a board member at the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, where she regularly works with volunteers, historians, and other members to create educational content accessible to the public. She holds a B.A. in History and English from Colgate University and an M.Phil. in World History from the University of Cambridge.

Current Research

I am interested in researching the links between transnational right-wing youth groups across Latin America and the U.S. during the Global 60s and how the Catholic Church served as an institutional medium for these cross-cultural and international collaborations. By studying the effect of religious institutions, such as the Catholic church, in shaping the conservative, anti-communist youth movements of this era, I hope to uncover how democracy can be shaped, diversified, and altered through the influence of non-state actors.

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Jaime Pensado
Podcast

Love and Despair: How Catholic Activism Shaped Politics and the Counterculture in Modern Mexico, with Historian Jaime Pensado

Apr 22, 2024

In this podcast, interviewer Kellogg PhD Fellow Victoria Basulto, and historian Jaime Pensado discuss his recently published book entitled “Love and Despair. How Catholic Activism Shaped Politics and the Counterculture in Modern Mexico.” The book explores how progressive and conservative Catholic actors were invested in state repression, youth activism, and counterculture in Cold War Mexico.