Nominated by: Mariela A. Rodríguez
Carlos Alberto Torres is the UNESCO Chair in Global Learning and Global Citizenship Education and director of the Paulo Freire Institute at UCLA, where he is Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences and Comparative Education. He is most noted for his research and activism, which has significantly promoted global citizenship education and global learning that encompasses human rights, pluralism and citizenship, and the interrelationships of economic, political, and cultural spheres. As a political sociologist of education, his empirical research focuses on the impact of globalization, especially on higher education in the U.S. and internationally. Professor Torres has lectured throughout Latin America, the United States, and in universities in Japan, Tanzania, Taiwan, and Sweden, among others, sharing his work of social justice education with a global perspective.