A History of Scholarship

Peter Sufrin, BA ’95, was a high schooler when he first heard the Portuguese language. From then on, he says, “I was really fixated,” gravitating toward the Brazilian version of a language spoken by more than 200 million people worldwide.  

“I was always fascinated by Brazilian culture, particularly language, music, dance and martial arts,” Sufrin said. He has visited cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and he studied bossa nova guitar while a graduate student in Boston and has taken lessons in Brazilian martial arts and samba. 

An international relations scholar, Sufrin is immersed in the current events, politics, and economy of modern-day Latin America. Although he started out working in finance in New York after graduating from UB, his academic interests in history led him back to Brazil. Sufrin has master’s degrees in history, diplomacy and international relations, and Portuguese from Boston University, Seton Hall University and the University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth, respectively. 

He eventually moved to Washington, D.C., where he is now an associate member of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Latin American-focused think tank.  

He says he enjoys the city’s intellectual climate and, regardless of what happens on Capitol Hill, finds the academic life endlessly stimulating.  

“I’m not a politician, but I wanted to serve America as a scholar,” he adds. 

A subject-matter expert specializing in contemporary Brazilian foreign affairs, Sufrin writes and publishes articles on topics such as foreign policy, energy, education, science and technology for the Dialogue’s daily newsletter, Latin America Advisor.  

He also contributes regularly to other journals including American Diplomacy, Brazilian Report, The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, as well as for Brazzil, a Brazilian-focused news aggregator. His main audiences are thought leaders in business, academics and industry.   

“Political science is really like modern history in some ways,” Sufrin says, adding that his training in history helps him go back several decades if necessary to analyze subjects like healthcare and tax law. “Books I’ve read about Brazilian history have pretty much been my preparation for contemporary political science.”

A Western New York native, Sufrin is a Loyal Blue annual donor to UB and to the History Department’s Resource Fund. His contributions to this fund provide faculty and students with access to cutting-edge approaches to history scholarship, including innovative speakers, research opportunities, extensive student scholarships, an annual newsletter and important capital upgrades for campus learning spaces. 

Sufrin’s motivation to support UB and his undergraduate department is rooted in the broad liberal arts education he received; he notes studying business, philosophy, comparative literature, and the history of medicine, among other subjects that helped open his horizons.  

These and other foundational courses also helped prepare him for in-depth research and evaluation in both English and Portuguese. 

“UB is a fine institution,” he says of supporting his alma mater. “It’s about gratitude for the good education I received, and to see the university and my department prosper.”