Robert Con Davis-Undiano: The Power Of Ideas

Robert Con Davis-Undiano is the host of Current Conversations. He is Neustadt Professor of Comparative Literature and Presidential Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches Chicano and Latino Studies. He is executive director of World Literature Today, an organization that oversees two publications and is a humanities center for students. He is also the general editor of the Chicana & Chicano Visions of the Americas book series at the University of Oklahoma Press, and his many publications are in American Studies, literary criticism, and Chicano Studies.His new book Mestizos Come Home! Making and Claiming Mexican American Identity will be published in 2017. He previously hosted The Power of Ideas, a show sponsored …show more content…
He has proved his acting prowess by playing various types of characters. As a versatile actor, he played warm and sympathetic characters and abominable villains with equal confidence. Starting his career in city administration, he shifted his focus towards acting by joining Black Actors’ Workshop. After making his debut in the film ‘Escape from Alcataz’, he also made his mark as a notable actor on stage. His name was nominated for Emmy Awards several times. Besides securing a place as an accomplished actor, he produced a number of successful films as an executive producer of Robey Theatre Company which he set up along with actor Ben Guillory. He takes keen interest in politics and as a political activist. While studying at San Francisco University, he was actively involved with Black Students Union. Besides acting asan active board member of the Trans African Forum, he is also a board member of several organizations like The Black AIDS Institute, The Algebra Project and Walden …show more content…
He writes “Syria Comment,” a daily newsletter on Syrian politics that attracts over 100,000 readers a month. Dr. Landis travels frequently to Washington DC to consult with government agencies and speak at think tanks. Most recently he has spoken at the Woodrow Wilson Institute, Brookings Institute, USIP, Middle East Institute, and Council on Foreign Relations. He was educated at Swarthmore (BA), Harvard (MA), and Princeton (PhD). He has lived over 14 years in the Middle East and speaks Arabic and French fluently. He has lived four years in Syria, and spent most summers in Damascus until the revolution began. He is a frequent analyst on TV and