| Tomás Straka | |
|---|---|
Tomás Straka at the presentation of the book La épica del desencanto, July, 2009. |
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| Born | October 25, 1972 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Occupation | historian, professor, and writer. |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
Tomás Helmut Straka Medina (October 25, 1972), is a Venezuelan historian, professor and researcher at the Andrés Bello Catholic University, author of La Voz de los Vencidos (2000), Las Alas de Ícaro (2005), Un Reino para este mundo (2006), La épica del desencanto (2009), among other works and essays.
Being born in Caracas, son of Hellmuth Straka (1922–1987), indigenist, explorer and journalist of German origin, who was expatriated from Czechoslovakia in 1946, as cause of the Beneš decrees, coming to Venezuela in 1952, and developing an intensive work at the study of cave art, spelunking and the fight for the rights of indigenous people. By maternal ascendancy has Afro-American origins from the region of Barlovento and Guayana in Venezuela, and the island of Trinidad, as well indigenous ancestry from the region of Píritu.[1]
In 1989, Tomás Straka obtains the bachelor degree at the Gustavo Herrera school in Caracas, before that studied at the Santos Michelena commercial school (1984–1985) and the Fernando de Peñalver school (1985–1987). Magister in history from the Central University of Venezuela, graduated as professor of Social Sciences at the Pedagogical Institute of Caracas, is currently studying a doctorate in history at the UCAB. Has been teacher and researcher at the Simón Bolívar University, Monteávila University, Metropolitan University, the Pedagogical Institute of Caracas, Monseñor Arias Blanco Pedagogical Institute and the Santa Rosa de Lima Institute.[2] Is also member of the editorial board of the cultural magazine Tierra Firme, dedicated to the study of history and social sciences.
Straka is specialized in the areas of history of political ideas, history of Catholic Church and historiography,[3] is director of the Masters in history of the Americas and history of Venezuela, and part of the researchers at the Hermann González Oropeza S.J. Historical Investigations Institute at the Andrés Bello Catholic University.