Journalism Professor Researches Latinx Diasporas Around the World
University of Arizona School of Journalism Professor Jessica Retis
For University of Arizona School of Journalism Professor Jessica Retis, a year-long sabbatical provided an opportunity to research the stories of Latin American diasporas across several continents and share her expertise.
Retis spent the 2025-26 academic year traveling to Spain, Brazil, Peru, Japan, France and England conducting interviews and archival research, visiting universities and studying how immigrant communities use media to maintain connections to language and culture.
Retis began her travels in August 2025 as a keynote speaker at the Mexican Association of Communication Researchers conference in Hermosillo, Sonora.
“That was a great way to begin my sabbatical,” she said.
She then spent the Fall 2025 semester as a visiting scholar at Charles III University of Madrid, researching Latin American immigrants and media in Spain. She also guest lectured at several universities throughout the country and interviewed immigrants in Madrid for a planned book about Latin American migration to Spain.
In Spring 2026, Retis returned to a project she began nearly a decade ago examining the relationship between Latin American and Japanese immigrant communities, and the media upon which they rely.
She first traveled to São Paulo, Brazil, where she was a visiting scholar at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing. She visited Liberdade, São Paulo's Japanese neighborhood, to interview residents, as well as the director of Brazil’s last remaining Japanese-language newspaper, Brasil Nippou.
Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, making it an important part of the migration topics Retis has been researching.
Professor Jessica Retis and graduate students following a guest lecture at the University of Tokyo in April 2026.
She next traveled to Lima, Peru, where she spoke at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and interviewed the staff of Perú Shimpo, the only Japanese news media outlet serving Japanese Peruvians.
From Peru, she traveled to Japan and spent time as a visiting scholar at the University of Tokyo, giving a guest lecture to graduate students and interacting with Latinx migrants there to better understand their experiences.
“I spent my time in Tokyo interviewing people I met going to cultural events and visiting churches, parks and public spaces,” she said.
Retis’ research examines how cultural traditions and languages are maintained or lost across generations. She is working with researchers in Japan, Peru and Brazil on a project about the cultural identities of Latinx Nikkeijin, or those who are of Japanese descent but born or raised in Latin America, and plans to write a book about Japanese migration to Peru and Brazil.
Continuing the work
After Japan, Retis continued her research in Madrid, Paris and London, working with researchers and co-authors on projects about Latin American immigrant communities and Spanish-language media.
Her sabbatical also gave her time to advance several other scholarly projects and attend international conferences.
Retis, as well as Professor Jeannine Relly, contributed to the Worlds of Journalism Studies report. For Retis, her contribution encompassed the report’s Peru case study, which was published earlier this year. She also finished editing the forthcoming Routledge Companion to Latino/a/x Journalism, which is designed as a reference for researchers and students in journalism, communication and media studies.
Retis and members of the Latinx Studies Section at the 2026 Latin American Studies Association International Congress in Paris, France.
During the 2026 Latin American Studies Association (LASA) conference in Paris, Retis was elected chair of the organization’s Migration Studies Section, a role that begins this academic year.
"I am honored to serve the association in this new leadership role and to continue supporting research and collaboration on migration studies across the Americas," Retis said.
She will help prepare for the 2027 LASA conference, which will be hosted by the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, where Retis earned her M.A. in Latin American studies.
Watching media evolve
One theme that emerged across Retis’ recent research was how quickly ethnic media are changing.
In Japan, she found that traditional print media has declined while social media and independent bilingual content creators have become increasingly important sources of news.
“I’m interested in these content creators who are telling people about culture and history and useful information,” Retis said. “They become translators.”
Now back on campus in Tucson, she plans to bring what she learned during her travels into her teaching and continued research.
“Places are moving beyond legacy media,” Retis said. “We still have print, radio and television, but what’s happening on social media is impressive to me. I want to bring those lessons back to my classes.”
Retis will continue her work this fall associated with the School of Journalism’s Bilingual Journalism Program, which she helped establish.