Testimonials
I have known Dr. Vasquez for over 10 years. His thoughtful advice and careful editorial work were crucial in completing my Ph.D. dissertation. I have continued work with him as an assistant professor. He has consistently provided effective and high-quality editing, professional comments, and substantive suggestions. He always identifies the problems in my manuscripts, provides solutions and additional references that have sharpened my arguments and strengthened my conclusions. More recently, he assisted me in the preparation of four articles, which have appeared or are forthcoming in prestigious scholarly journals. With these publications, I will be promoted to an associate professor this year. Based on my experience, I highly recommend that young scholars work with Dr. Vasquez.
Dr. Manuel Vasquez has been an excellent academic mentor for me. When writing my dissertation, I consulted him to help me understand some complex social theories and point me to more scholarly sources. His explanations were clear and succinct. His wide and in-depth knowledge of social theories were very helpful in helping me analyse and frame my research data. He also helped me to edit the language of my dissertation. I would email him my chapters and he would get back to me in a very timely way. He would provide very useful comments and generous feedback. His feedback was constructive and was always conveyed in a gentle and yet straightforward manner. During my job search, he gave me very important tips on preparing for my interviews (both online and on campus) that included anticipating potential questions and pitching my presentation for a very specific college culture. We even met personally and rehearsed my teaching demonstration. I believe that his advice was crucial in helping me secure a job soon after graduation in an extremely competitive job market. The prices he charged were very reasonable and he was always ready and willing to help at various stages of my academic career, even on a personal and informal basis. Overall, he was a caring, patient and professional mentor that I would highly recommend.
Manuel was an invaluable resource in finalizing my book, Islam, Ethnicity, and Conflict in Ethiopia: The Bale insurgency, 1963-1970 (Cambridge 2020). He conducted a thorough reading of the text and edited it with great care. However, Manuel is far more than a regular copyeditor. Despite not being an expert on the topic, he gave me very constructive advice on the book’s arguments and structure, providing helpful insights that really improved the text. Manuel has an engaged approach to his work: he is direct, yet gentle, in his feedbacks, and has time to engage in interesting conversations about a range of scholarly topics. I highly recommend him as a professional and engaged mentor.
Working with Manuel was a true pleasure! Together we set up regular and realistic goals, and this helped me stay on track and allowed me to finish my book – Village Gone Viral: Understanding the Spread of Policy Models in a Digital Age (Stanford 2021) – on time. Manuel always provided timely feedback, which in addition to copy-editing, included substantial comments on drafts of individual chapters and the manuscript as a whole. He also gave me invaluable advice and helped me navigate the publication process. Most importantly, he was an inspiring conversational partner, who, with his strong knowledge in social theory, pushed my analytical and theoretical thinking. I highly recommend his services.