Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Guillermo J. Grenier, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies in the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Dr. Grenier is one of the founders of the Miami school of social analysis, and has authored or coauthored six books and dozens of articles on labor, migration and immigrant political culture. Dr. Grenier has been a Fulbright Fellow and a Faculty Fellow of the University of Notre Dame's Institute of Latino Studies as well as Director of the Florida Center for Labor Research and Studies. Since 1991, he has served as a lead investigator of the FIU Cuba Poll, the most cited source on the political culture of Cuban-Americans in Florida.

His passion for long distance trekking has led him to explore historic trails throughout Europe. He first walked the Camino de Santiago from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela and since then has walked dozens of the pilgrimage trails winding through Europe, including many of the historically rich Italian trails. The unique regional histories of Italy come alive as one walks its ancient paths: from trails which trace the experiences of the transhumance journeys of the earliest cultures to the Roman roads which still extend throughout the country, and the trails where holy men and women spread their faith.  The cammini d’Italia and their link to Italian history have become incorporated into Dr. Grenier’s curricula as he teaches his students how societies change while maintaining a strong sense of identity and social cohesion. In the summer, he teaches courses on the sociology of globalization in Genova using the richness of regional Italian history to highlight the relativity of the concept of globalization and its characteristics.

He lectures nationally and internationally on his research. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology and his M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque.