Jonathan Mulki

Education and Degree(s)

• B.A. in Political Science (Political Philosophy), Universidad de Buenos Aires
• M.A. in Political Science (Social and Political Theory), Central European University

Research Interests & Expertise

• Latin American Literature and Culture
• Environmental Humanities
• Plant Studies
• Yerba mate
• Ecologies of Perception
• Political Philosophy

Faculty Adviser: Emily Celeste Vázquez Enríquez

Honors and Awards

• Summer Dissertation Writing Fellowship, UC Davis (2025).
• Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, UC Davis (2024–2025).
• Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowship, UC Davis (2020–2021).
• Summer School Scholarship, Freie Universität Berlin (2019).
• MA Scholarship, Central European University (2016–2017).
• Alumni Scholarship, Central European University (2016–2017).

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Book Chapter: “Captivity and Pride in the Yerba Mate World: A Bond for Survival Under Persistent Coloniality.” In Plants and Animals in Latin American Cultures, edited by Cristina E. Pardo Porto and Oscar A. Pérez. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, forthcoming 2026.

Courses Taught

University of California, Davis

• SPA 2Y - Elementary Spanish I (Hybrid, Fall 2025).
• SPA 2V – Elementary Spanish II (Online – Zoom, Summer 2024).
• SPA 33 – Spanish for Heritage Speakers (Spring 2024).
• SPA 123 – Creative Writing in Spanish (Upper Division, Winter 2024).
• SPA 24 – Spanish Composition II (Fall 2023).
• SPA 22V – Intermediate Spanish (Online – Zoom, Summer 2023).
• SPA 23 – Spanish Composition I (Spring 2023).
• SPA 23 – Spanish Composition I (Winter 2023).
• SPA 23 – Spanish Composition I (Fall 2022).
• SPA 1 – Elementary Spanish I (Spring 2022).
• SPA 1 – Elementary Spanish I  (Winter 2022).
• SPA 1 – Elementary Spanish I (Fall 2021).

Other University Teaching (Argentina)

• The Political Phenomenon – Universidad de San Andrés (2019).
• Introduction to International Relations – Universidad de Belgrano (2018–2019).
• Sociology – Universidad de Belgrano (2018–2019).
• Research Methods in Social Sciences – Universidad de Belgrano (2018–2019).
• Public Administration and Public Policy – Universidad de Buenos Aires (2014–2016).

High School (Argentina)

• Contemporary History – Escuela Técnica ORT (2011–2015).
• Argentine History – Escuela Técnica ORT (2011–2015).
• Ethics & Citizenship Education – Escuela Técnica ORT (2011–2015).

Conference Presentations

• Forthcoming – Book presentation: Plants and Animals in Latin American Cultures (University of Florida Press). Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention, Toronto, 2026.
• 2025 – “Silent Mate: Ritual, Animism, and Continuous Attention in the Solitary Practice of Drinking Mate.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress, San Francisco.
• 2025 – “The Yerbales Before Barrett: First Study of the Julián Bouvier Archive.” Samuel G. Armistead Colloquium in Latin American and Peninsular Languages, Literature, and Cultures, University of California, Davis.
• 2024 – “Juruá Chronicle: A Contemporary Approach to the Links Between Guaraní Communities in Argentina and Paraguay and the Yerba Mate Plant.” Samuel G. Armistead Colloquium in Latin American and Peninsular Languages, Literature, and Cultures, University of California, Davis.
• 2024 – “Honor, Pride, and Appropriation: Colonial Persistency and the Myth of a White Nation in the Yerba Mate World.” GRAPHSY 2024: Graduate Portuguese and Hispanic Symposium, Georgetown University.
• 2024 – “Honor, Suffering, and Appropriation in the Cultural Representations of Yerba Mate.” American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA) Annual Meeting, Montréal, Canada.
• 2024 – “A Study of the Cultural Representations of Yerba Mate in Argentina and Paraguay.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress, Bogotá, Colombia. 

Additional Academic Training

• Summer School in Literature and Politics, Freie Universität Berlin (2019).
• Summer School in Mixed Methods, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2016).