Karen Melvin

Expert in "latin-american-history"

Karen Melvin

Thomas Hedley Reynolds Professor of History

History, Latin American and Latinx Studies

charity and religion, colonial Mexico, early modern Catholic world, early modern history, history, history of religion, Latin American history, urban history

News & Updates

June 30, 2026

David Omasombo ’26 & Chiwer Mayen ’26: Standing Tall for…

David Omasombo ’26 and Chiwer Mayen ’26 have shared many basketball courts across their young lifetimes, including historic Alumni Gym, but the first one stands out in their memories for being the worst, in a technical sense. The surface was uneven, the rims inconsistent, and, most of the time, there were no nets.

June 25, 2026

Bates Alumni In the News Spring 2026

Chronicling Bates alumni in the news — from the class of ’77 to ’26 — and a remembering journalist Kim Gamel ’90.

June 25, 2026

Faculty and staff excellence recognized

Many Bates faculty and staff have received grants, awards, and other acknowledgements of their strong teaching and research. Read on for more great Bates news.

Expert in "latin-american-history"

Karen Melvin

Thomas Hedley Reynolds Professor of History

Faculty Search