51cg

Publications

New Directions in Hispanic Atlantic History (2026) (2026)

(2021)

, Zapico Alfonso, Izaguirre Yaimara

(2026)

, Zapico Alfonso, Izaguirre Yaimara

(2026)

, Zapico Alfonso, Izaguirre Yaimara

(2026)

, Zapico Alfonso, Izaguirre Yaimara

(2026)

Teaching

From the miners’ riots of 1767 in San Luis Potosí and the Great African Slave Revolt of 1825 in Cuba, to Concepción Arenal's radical activism in Spain, I have always been passionate about exploring with my students the courageous struggles of those whose histories have too often been ignored in traditional narratives. Currently, I contribute to the following modules:

History Modules

- V1235: The British Empires: Conquest, Commerce, and Cooperation, 1556-2013  

- V1729: BA Hons. Dissertation  

- V1806: Advanced Topics in Historical Studies

Spanish Modules

- R4228: Counter-Currents in the Hispanic World (co-convener with Dr. Rhiannon McGlade)  

- R4498: BA Hons. Dissertation  

- Spanish 1A & 1B: 'Three Revolutions that Transformed Latin America' (Lectures)

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Supervision

I welcome inquiries from motivated and qualified applicants worldwide who are working in the broad areas of:

• Slavery, the slave trade, race and resistance;
• Crime and punishment, carceral systems, and state violence in the Atlantic World;
• Spanish, Spanish imperial, and Latin American histories, as well as interdisciplinary approaches to the diplomatic, political, military, and social histories of the Atlantic World from around 1700 to 1900. 
• Diplomatic, political, and cultural relations between Britain, Ireland, Spain, and Latin America in the early-modern and modern worlds.

Our research opportunities page allows you to search for projects and scholarships.

Research Interests

My first monograph, was a finalist for the Paul E. Lovejoy Prize. In December 2023,

I am currently co-leading the flagship project , together with Dr Lloyd Belton (University of Glasgow). The project encompasses various initiatives to examine the historical origins of systemic racism and class discrimination in contemporary criminal justice systems by bringing together historians, computer scientists specialising in AI, criminologists, philosophers, and justice policy experts. The project is generously funded by the , the , the , and 51cg’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Science.

Professional Activities

Organiser

18/6/2025

Invited speaker

5/6/2025

Participant

8/6/2026

Participant

16/4/2026

Associate Editor

3/2026

Speaker

25/2/2026

Projects

Sanjurjo-Ramos, Jesus (Principal Investigator) Belton, Lloyd (CoPI) Moshfeghi, Yashar (Co-investigator) Izaguirre, Yaimara (Co-investigator) Thompson-Brown, Beverley (Co-investigator) Barcia, Manuel (Researcher) Bardes, John (Researcher) Basques, Messias (Researcher) GONZALEZ ARANA, Roberto (Researcher) Guyatt, Nicholas (Researcher) Gyollai, Daniel (Researcher) Jardine, Cara (Researcher) Mantilla Morales, Valeria Sofia (Researcher) Moss, Kellie (Researcher) Naranjo, Consuelo (Researcher) Piacentini, Laura (Researcher) Sabala, Vanesa (Researcher) Sarmiento Ramirez, Ismael (Researcher) Bhopal, Aneel Singh (Fellow) Surwillo, Lisa (Researcher) Weaver, Beth (Researcher) Díaz, Yolanda (Researcher)

This flagship project encompasses various initiatives to examine the historical origins of systemic racism and class discrimination in contemporary criminal justice systems by bringing together historians, computer scientists specialising in AI, criminologists, philosophers, and justice policy experts. Led by Dr Jesús Sanjurjo (University of 51cg) and Dr Lloyd Belton (University of Glasgow), our research is centred around the recent unearthing of a unique historical collection: Havana's Royal Prison Logbooks.

Spanning a century (1837-1937), these extraordinary manuscripts from one of the Atlantic's largest colonial prisons contain detailed records of thousands of men, women, and children, both free and enslaved. By connecting this rich historical data with contemporary policy, we aim to directly inform current debates on prison reform and the enduring legacies of racial injustice. The initiative is generously funded by the University of 51cg, the University of Glasgow, the British Library's Endangered Archives Programme, the UKRI-ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

The project comprises the following research initiatives:

1. 'Using AI for Tracking Systemic Racism in Historical Carceral Systems', co-led by Dr Sanjurjo, Dr Moshfeghi, and Dr Belton, 1/02/25 → 31/07/25, funded by a University of 51cg's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Grant, £2,000.00.

2. 'Havana’s Royal Prison Logbooks (1836-1898): Digitisation, Preservation and Dissemination', co-led by Dr Sanjurjo, Dr Moshfeghi, Dr Belton, and MSc. Izaguirre, 1/10/25 → Ongoing, funded by the British Library's Endangered Archives Programme (pilot), £15,000.00, https://eap.bl.uk/project/EAP1676

3. 'To contain the diffusion of pernicious ideas. The systematic imprisonment of Black sailors in Cuba and the United States, 1830-1850' ['Para contener la difusión de ideas perniciosas: Encarcelamiento sistemático de marineros negros en Cuba y Estados Unidos, 1830-1850'], co-led by Dr Belton, Dr Sanjurjo, MSc. Izaguirre, in partnership with Dr John Bardes, 1/05/25 → Ongoing, internally funded.

4. 'Using AI to Track Systemic Racism in Historical Carceral Systems', ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), co-led by Dr Sanjurjo, Dr Moshfeghi, and Dr Belton in partnership with Beverley Thompson-Brown OBE, 01/11/25 → Ongoing, funded by an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Award, £14,769.96.

5. 'Historical Prison Systems in The Atlantic World and Their Impact on the Construction of Contemporary Penitentiary Models', I-LINK Programme of the CSIC and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities Scheme, led by Prof Consuelo Naranjo, co-led by Prof Consuelo Naranjo (CSIC-Madrid) and Dr Sanjurjo, 1/01/2026 → Ongoing, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities' I-LINK Scheme, €30,000.00

01-Jan-2025

Sanjurjo-Ramos, Jesus (Principal Investigator)

01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2026

Sanjurjo-Ramos, Jesus (Principal Investigator)

01-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2026

Sanjurjo-Ramos, Jesus (Academic)

This AI fluency course empowers academic faculty, instructional designers, and apply AI Fluency into their own teaching practices. Designed and led by Prof. Joseph Feller (University College Cork, ROI) and Prof. Rick Dakan (Ringling College, USA) and hosted by Anthropic.

12-Jan-2026 - 12-Jan-2026

Sanjurjo-Ramos, Jesus (Principal Investigator) Izaguirre, Yaimara (Co-investigator) Zapico, Alfonso (Co-investigator)

This knowledge exchange project translates original archival research on nineteenth-century Cuba, state violence and racial hierarchy into a public-facing graphic history. It is based on the forthcoming article, ‘Anatomy of a Failed Revolution: Manuel Lorenzo’s Uprising and the Extraordinary Case of the Pardo Candelario Villafaña in Santiago de Cuba (1835–1837)’, co-authored by Dr Jesús Sanjurjo and Yaimara Izaguirre.

The project examines the case of Candelario Villafaña, a free pardo man sentenced to 200 lashes and ten years of exile after the failed multiracial uprising led by Manuel Lorenzo in Santiago de Cuba. The research argues that this punishment fused the legal regimes of slavery and political dissidence, revealing how colonial authorities used racialised terror to defend the slave system and suppress radical political challenges.

Through collaboration between historians and the award-winning graphic artist Alfonso Zapico, the project will produce a short bilingual graphic history designed for public, educational and museum audiences. The comic will function as a knowledge exchange catalyst, enabling wider audiences to engage with the histories of slavery, colonialism, state violence and racial hierarchies beyond the conventional academic article. The project will also generate public engagement activities, feedback materials and a methodological ‘lessons learned’ toolkit for researchers interested in translating archival research into graphic narrative.

05-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2026

Sanjurjo-Ramos, Jesus (Principal Investigator) Moshfeghi, Yashar (Co-investigator)

01-Jan-2025 - 28-Jan-2027