In the introductory lecture to this public series, UC Berkeley Emeritus Professor Alex Saragoza will discuss the connections among creative works, the experiences of migration, and the possibilities of personal and/or social transformation in light of international migratory flows since the 19th century to the present day. Alex M. Saragoza was born in Madera, California, where for much of his youth he worked side by side with his Mexican immigrant, farm-working parents. He has published widely on the interface between Mexico and the United States, including works on Mexican immigration and related topics. At the University of California, Berkeley, he served as chair of the Center for Latin American Studies, among other administrative positions. He has lectured at various universities, such as the University of Aix-en-Provence, France, the University of Texas, National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Harvard University among others; in 2012 he was a visiting professor at the Sorbonne nouvelle, (Paris, France). He is the recipient of the 2017 Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award from the Osher Life-Learning Institute (affiliated with UC Berkeley), and most recently he was appointed to the Distinguished Lecturer Program of the Organization of American Historians. He is professor emeritus of history in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley.