She continued her higher education at El Colegio de México (MA, 1964) and Princeton University (1965–1969), where she obtained her PhD in history and literature.

She has been visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, the Menéndez Pelayo International University (Spain), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where she held the Chair “Teachers in Exile”, and at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Paris), among other higher education institutions.

Her major research interests are related to Spain, often in a comparative perspective with Mexico, Latin America and the rest of Europe.

Her published works are considered major references for scholars interested in the history of 19th-century social movements and comparative studies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Her pioneering work in the field of migrations and exiles from Spain to Mexico and South America consist of cultural, institutional, social and quantitative approaches.