Derek Allen is a Ph.D. Candidate in Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture with a Designated Emphasis in Film. His courses taught at UC Berkeley include: “Introduction to Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-Speaking Cultures,” “Reading and Composition: Postcolonial Identities in Luso-African Literature and Film”, and “Intensive Portuguese for Spanish Speakers.” He is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award.
He received his M.A. in Portuguese from Indiana University, where he was also an Associate Instructor of Spanish and Portuguese language courses. He received his B.A. in Portuguese from Brigham Young University, where he was awarded Outstanding Portuguese Major and graduated with minors in English and Management, while also working as a Research Assistant for the Department of Plant Sciences.
Previous to his academic studies, he spent two years as a volunteer service representative in Mozambique and Angola. He has also studied abroad at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Universidade de Lisboa, and ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal, as well as at Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He is a recipient of the Andrew and Mary Thompson Rocca Fellowship for dissertation research to be performed in Mozambique, the John L. Simpson Pre-Dissertation Research Fellowship for research performed in Ceará and Amazonas, Brazil, as well as the Chancellor’s Fellowship and FLAS fellowships. He is also a CLACS affiliate and a member of the Coletivo de Tradutores Berkeley-Brasil. His dissertation concentrates on literature and film depicting the Luso-African Wars of Independence.
