Center Harbor, New Hampshire-based writer and publisher with a background in higher education, Jorge I. Dominguez has published more than a dozen books on Latin America history, democracy, socioeconomics, and US relations. He has written books in English and Spanish, including The Cuban Economy in a New Era, Social Policies and Decentralization in Cuba, and La Cuba que Quisimos. Jorge I. Dominguez has also published dozens of research papers in both languages in publications such as Latin American Research Review and Oxford Bibliographies.
Jorge I. Dominguez is a retired Harvard University professor with more than 45 years of teaching experience. He was the Antonio Madero professor for the study of Mexico from 2006 to 2018, and achieved tenure at the school in 1979. He primarily taught Latin American politics at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and also advised more than 100 dissertations. He is a recipient of the Joseph R. Levenson Memorial Teaching Award, and the Hoopes Prize for Senior Thesis Advising.
Jorge I. Dominguez also held several administrative roles at Harvard, including director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and chair of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. In the latter role, he oversaw the selection of scholars and provided mentorship for an exclusive two-year research program.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Tomorrow I will go hiking for several hours up Bald Knob Mountain. The next day I will join a library book discussion group that examines what we have read and liked. The following day I will chair the finance committee for our local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I research, write, and publish. I also talk about my work and about issues of general interest. I have collaborated to produce two comic trips on two of my research publications.
What’s one trend that excites you?
My grandchildren are savvy users of technology. They show that new technologies can be harnessed effectively and for good.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I set my alarm clock every morning. It gives me several uninterrupted hours to be productive. I exercise every day; it keeps me fit.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Spend more time with family and friends. Not all the work must be done instantly. Travel for pleasure, not just for work.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I can argue both in favor of and against President Donald Trump’s foreign policies. Nobody agrees with this combination or this approach to reasoning.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Read nonfiction and fiction, as well as research papers. Think on your own.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Take a nap. Go on a hike. Read a novel. Email or text friends.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
I stayed focused, possessed high energy, attended to details, and ordinarily set “yes” as my default response.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Submitting scholarly articles for publication dooms you to failure because articles may be rejected for numerous reasons. Listening to the criticism, taking them seriously, making revisions, and trying again. Dozens and dozens of published articles suggest this worked. Perseverance is a key lesson.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Microsoft Copilot. I use it only as a copy-editing tool, not to draft anything for me. I almost never accept the rewrites that it proposes, but I draw often from its rewrites to make targeted edits in my own texts.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. The film is ambitious and inventive. Combining historical fiction with fantasy, it features memorable characters. The film features sterling prose in Spanish.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Casablanca, which I saw for the umpteenth time. It is a film that celebrates a long-standing romance, personal interracial friendship, and cosmopolitan commitments to oppose dictatorships. It highlights several of the tragedies of World War II. It portrays memorable characters and remains one of the most quotable films of all time.
Key learnings
- With perseverance comes success.
- Engage in varied activities for both your mind and body.
- Self-discipline matters.
- Connect with others from your team and beyond.