Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons^™

God Is An Undocumented Border Crosser, Harold J. Recinos Ph.D.

Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano

Immigration is one of the biggest civil and human rights issues of our time. Global migration patterns reveal today that one out of every 35 people around the world (200 million; larger than Brazil or the fifth largest nation in the world) live in a region other than their homeland, while one of every seven persons residing in the United States is foreign born. Today, the total immigrant population living in the United States equals 47 million persons and undocumented immigrants represent nearly 12 million among them. In this brief essay, I will focus on the humanity of immigrant newcomers …

Book Review: Juan Wesley Y La Reforma Protestante, Angel Santiago-Vendrell Ph.D

Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano

No abstract provided.

The Role Of English And Spanish In The United States, Cristina Moricete

Student Research Symposium

The Spanish-speaking population of the United States is made up of more than 40 million speakers, and it is also one of the fastest growing groups. However, Hispanics in the United States have faced much discrimination over time. Numerous news reports highlight instances in which they have been told either to learn English or go back to their countries of origin. This discrimination is not only directed toward immigrants but also toward American citizens of Hispanic descent. The purpose of this study is to see what young adults think about the role of English and Spanish in the United States. …

Exhibit Curriculum For Fighting For Democracy: Unit Two, Sarah Aponte, Martin Toomajian

Open Educational Resources

Exhibit curriculum for the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute exhibit, Fighting for Democracy: Dominican Veterans from World War II.

Students in Global History and U.S. History courses often spend extensive class time studying World War II. Dominicans were involved in virtually every facet of the U.S. war effort. The Dominican Studies Institute's exhibit highlights Dominican veterans who served in both the European and Pacific theaters, in multiple branches of the U.S. armed forces. These same veterans, like other people of color, faced discrimination as soldiers in the U.S. An exploration of these veterans' experiences would be memorable and valuable for secondary …

Exhibit Curriculum For Fighting For Democracy: Unit One, Sarah Aponte, Martin Toomajian

Open Educational Resources

Exhibit curriculum for the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute exhibit, Fighting for Democracy: Dominican Veterans from World War II.

Students in Global History and U.S. History courses often spend extensive class time studying World War II. Dominicans were involved in virtually every facet of the U.S. war effort. The Dominican Studies Institute's exhibit highlights Dominican veterans who served in both the European and Pacific theaters, in multiple branches of the U.S. armed forces. These same veterans, like other people of color, faced discrimination as soldiers in the U.S. An exploration of these veterans' experiences would be memorable and valuable for secondary …

La Voz Winter 2020, El Instituto: Institute Of Latina/O, Caribbean, And Latin American Studies

La Voz

In this issue:

• Multi-Media Artist Begins Year-Long Residence at UConn
• Graciela Mochkofsky Presents the 2019 Mead Lecture
• La Comunidad Intelectual Learning Community Presents Research at Virginia Tech Conference
• Cost Rica Education: Why it's Worth the Trip?
• Music Professor Publishes Book on Global Mexicanidades
• La Colectiva Feminista Comes to UConn

Distorsión Y Silencio En El Lienzo De Tlaxcala (1892) De Alfredo Chavero: Notas Metodológicas, Jannette Amaral-Rodríguez

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Descripción de la ciudad y provincia de Tlaxcala (1581–1585), a Tlaxcalan manuscript that contains homologous images to the ones in Lienzo de Tlaxcala (of which there are only modern copies in existence), was found in 1976 and published in three modern editions since 1981. Even though this sixteenth-century manuscript offers authentic images on the history of colonial Tlaxcala, literary critics and historians continue to use the Lienzo de Tlaxcala copied by the painter Genaro López and edited by Alfredo Chavero in 1892. To develop a critique of these methodological practices through the consideration of the historical and ideological context of …

Chupa Chuparosas Y Chupacabras, Ruben U. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

A Rascuache Nahual that uses therianthropy on the border between the US and Mexico border.

Living Through The Chilean Coup D’Etat: The Second-Generation’S Reflection On Their Sense Of Agency, Civic Engagement And Democracy, Denise Tala Diaz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation illuminates how the experience of growing up during the Chilean dictatorship (1973–1990) affected the individual's sense of self as citizen and the impact on their sense of democratic agency, civic-mindedness, and political engagement in their country's current democracy. To understand that impact, the researcher chose to study her own generation, the “Pinochet-era” generation (Cummings, 2015) and interviewed those who were part of the Chilean middle class, who despite not being explicit victims of perpetrators, were raised in dictatorship and surrounded by abuse of state power including repression, disappearance, and imprisonment. The theoretical frame of the Socio-Political Development Theory …

Mi Feria Es Su Feria: How Mexican Americans Created The 1968 San Antonio Hemisfair, Gene Thomas Morales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In 1968, HemisFair became the first world's fair to be held in San Antonio, the United States Southwest, and to be recognized by the Bureau of International Expositions. Countries from around the globe were brought together by a shared commitment to democratic unity, Pan-American friendship, and to celebrate San Antonio's 250th anniversary. San Antonio Fair Inc., the group in charge of the fairâ??s construction and production, worked closely with community leaders, the Texas state government, and the U.S. federal government to create the exposition. The fair's theme would be called Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas. Confluence for the fair …

Marielle Franco, Rhaissa Sanches

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Marielle Franco was a Black, Brazilian activist (1979-2018) who rose from the favelas (poor areas) of Rio de Janeiro to be elected as a councilwoman in Rio's election of 2016. Franco was known for exposing the violence waged in the favelas by Brazil's military and police under the "pretense of maintaining law and order," as well as how the militia wields power over those who live in the favelas. In addition to detailing Franco's life, activism and death, this paper also explains the history and development of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the negative attitudes held …

Increasing Latino Participation Rates In The 2020 Census In Chelsea, Ma, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Daniela Bravo, Franklin Ortiz

Gastón Institute Publications

Having an accurate count of the city of Chelsea’s Latino population will require strategic organizing by government officials and community leaders. If there is an undercount of the population, especially of immigrants who live in Chelsea, there will be long-term and potentially devastating effects on the city’s political power and less federal funding to address the needs of its Latino majority. We hope the results from this qualitative study will inform policies and recommendations to increase the participation of Chelsea residents in the upcoming 2020 Census. We hope the results will aid in developing culturally specific outreach strategies to inform …

A Longitudinal Test Of Mexican Teen Mothers’ Cultural Characteristics And Children’S Language Skills Via Mothers’ Language, Arlenis A. Santana

Theses and Dissertations

The current study includes 204 Mexican teen mothers and their children from a larger study who were interviewed when children were 3 years old (Wave 4; W4), 4 years old (W5), and 5 years old (W6). The current study is guided by the integrative model of developmental competencies (García Coll et al., 1996), which suggests that parents’ adaptive cultural characteristics and exchanges with their children inform children’s developmental competencies. Thus, the current study examined whether teen mothers’ adaptive cultural characteristics (i.e., familism values, language competency pressures, and involvement in Mexican culture and U.S. mainstream culture) at W4 informed mothers’ Spanish …

Latinx Diversity Officers In Higher Education: Capacitating Cultural Values As Champions Of Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion, Maria Teresa Chavez-Haroldson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research study is to share scholarly data that may assist in the recognition and cultural understanding of LatinX Chief DOs in higher education institutions. This multi-phase, qualitative study critically considers the participants’ sociopolitical, psychological, and, cultural situated-ness as equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) leaders in higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite the psychological stressors, the participants described how and why they are energized by their commitment to creating change as social justice campeonas (champions). This study explains why LatinX DOs leading EDI institutional change in the 21st century, places them in precarious sociopolitical circumstances. Cultural values are …

Introducción, Harold J. Recinos Ph.D, Pablo Oviedo Rev, Th.M

Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano

No abstract provided.

“Spirited” Engagement: Latin American Faith And The Construction Of Emancipative Pentecostalism, David Luckey

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

Pentecostalism is a prominent form of Christianity around the world that is increasingly pervasive in the Global South. One of the persistent issues that obscures accurate understanding of the movement is the question of whether such a spiritually-oriented faith gives attention to social realities. This dissertation identifies a broad spectrum of Latin America Pentecostal social- ethical engagement in order to complicate stereotypes and reveal a natural orientation toward public witness. It shows that Pentecostalism is too complex for broad generalization, and it draws on leading voices from within the movement to articulate a call to increasing efforts for social justice.

José Martí: The World's Most Popular Poetry, And A Vision For The Americas, Anne O. Fountain

Faculty Publications

This chapter begins with a capsule biographical sketch that situates José Martí as an agent of decolonization. It discusses Martí's place in literature, especially Spanish American letters, his transcultural importance, his work in translation, his role in the history of Cuban–US relations, and his vision for US relations with Latin America. It demonstrates the extraordinary international reach of his most popular writing by giving close attention to how two works, a book of poetry, Simple Verses (Versos Sencillos) and an essay, “Our America” (“Nuestra América”) have come to represent him to an increasingly broad audience.

The Heritage Of The Spanish Antilles, Daniel Nieves

Open Educational Resources

This course seeks to explore the heritage of the Spanish Caribbean—primarily Cuba, Dominican Republic/Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. We will place particular emphasis on the historical, cultural and ethnic forces that have shaped the character of the people of these islands. As well we will explore the variety of societies and cultures of the Spanish Caribbean in their historical and contemporary setting up to and including the (im)migration experience of Spanish Caribbean people to urban North America.

Disaggregated Hispanic Groups And Cancer: Importance, Methodology, And Current Knowledge, Paulo S. Pinheiro, Karen E. Callahan, Erin N. Kobetz

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Cancer is the leading cause of death among Latinos/Hispanics, the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States. Their cancer burden has nearly doubled in 15 years, with 129,000 new cancer cases nationwide in 2014. As this relatively young Hispanic population ages, this burden will inevitably increase; thus, accurate characterization of the Hispanic cancer experience is critical. In this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge on cancer in Hispanics, with a focus on the imperative of disaggregating by specific Hispanic group (Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central Americans, South Americans, and Dominicans) and nativity. We also describe for the first time …

Torn Apart: A Closer Look At Our Cover Image, Sandra Rios

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

Roswell, New Mexico And The Dead Futures Of Latinx Speculative Fictions, Renee Hudson

English Faculty Articles and Research

With the predominance of Chicanxs in Latinx speculative fictions as the impetus behind this cluster, I want to consider how Latinxs are represented in popular culture, especially when the creators of such Latinx characters are not Latinxs themselves. Turning to popular representations, I contend, acts as a litmus test for how Latinx issues are widely perceived as well as how these concerns are perpetuated within popular media. The Roswell reboot, Roswell, New Mexico offers one such instance as both the showrunner, Carina Adly MacKenzie, and Melinda Metz, the author of Roswell High, the show on which the series is …

Imagining The Futures Of Latinx Speculative Fictions, Renee Hudson

English Faculty Articles and Research

"To combat the speculative fictions Trump conjures into reality, we must look to more liberatory forms of speculative fiction, especially ones that imagine a future for Latinxs at a time when such futures seem to be foreclosed by the concentration camps proliferating within the borders of the United States. At the same time, we must interrogate how our speculative imaginaries are, at times, limited by the contradictions of latinidad. Latinidad presumably names a shared, collective identity based on Latin American origins that seem to supersede differences in race, religion, and class (among other identitarian categories). However, a number of scholars …

Cinematographic Landscapes Of Blackness In Mexico: (Re)Framing Afro-Mexican Lives & Futures, Talia Weltman-Cisneros

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

The legacy of historical invisibility and socio-cultural marginalization and rejection have marred contemporary Afro-Mexican lives, silencing their stories, customs, traditions, and cosmologies, while also denying them a sense of belonging and place within the visions of the present and futures of Mexican landscapes. Mexican films have often echoed this estranged relationship between blackness and Mexicanidad, portraying black characters as stereotyped figures who have most often been marked as exotic, primitive, and alien or anachronic in Mexico. However, these subaltern imaginaries of blackness and of Afro-Mexicanidad are challenged in the recent films La negrada (2018) and Artemio (2017). This article …

Black Agency And Aesthetic Innovation In Sergio Giral's El Otro Francisco, Philip Kaisary

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

In 2013, Henry Louis Gates lamented the tradition of whitewashing and the passing over of slave stories which has become commonplace throughout cinematic history: “there have been all too few films that have captured, or even attempted to convey, the truth of the experience of slavery, from the slave’s point of view” and even fewer “worthy of recognition.” While it is true that there have been some high-profile films produced in the last decade – 12 Years a Slave, Django Unchained, and Birth of a Nation, among others – that have endeavored to represent slavery from the …

Afro-Latin American Documentary Resistance From The Pacific Coast: How Voces De Resistencia (2017) Changes The Landscapes Of Aesthetics, Academia/Community Collaboration, And Black Feminist Activism During The Colombian "Peace Process", Sarah Ohmer

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

Voces de Resistencia, Capítulo 1, is a short documentary film with an original soundtrack composed and performed by Black Colombian female folk a cappella chorus, or alabadoras. The multimedia product makes use of Black feminist pedagogy and resistance: it portrays a silenced and oppressed group in Bojayá, Colombia. The focus on alabadoras singers and composers promotes self-definition and exposes the power of self-determination in songwriting, an a cappella chorus performance, and documentary filmmaking.

African Immigrants In Argentina Post-Slavery: An Old-New Odyssey, Alain Lawo-Sukam

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

In this interdisciplinary article, I address the less known migration of Africans in South America, especially in Argentina. This is significant because studies on African migrations have focused mainly on European and North American routes (north-south), living aside south-south paths. The complex experience of the first African immigrants in Argentina relates to a certain extent and also contrasts with the recent migrations of the twenty-first century. Because of (post)colonial history, collective/personal experience and stories, African immigrants are finding new homes in Argentina. However, recent changes in immigration policies relaxed under previous governments could jeopardize this el dorado. This article …

Codings Of Blackness In Mexican Cinema: An Analysis Of La Negrada, Ebony Marie Bailey

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

In a country whose national identity revolves around the idea of mestizaje, Blackness has been omitted from official discourses surrounding mexicanidad. As a result, Afro populations in Mexico have been subjected to codings that render them invisible, otherized and inferior. This paper analyzes the codings of Blackness in Mexico as reflected in the space of art and cinema, specifically the film La Negrada, the first feature fiction film to introduce an all Afro-Mexican cast. On one hand, there is an attempt to reclaim and make visible Mexico's African roots. On the other, the film also walks the …

So What If She Can't Dance And Sing: A Testimony From The Afrohabanera, Dawn Duke

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

From the early 1990s, a new film gained momentum in which there were no actors, i.e. contracted, paid, and famous, rather ordinary people, residing at the fringes of society, who momentarily were on camera, guided by a director determined to film realistic images. Cidade de Deus (Brazil), Pixote: a lei do mais fraco (Brazil), La vendedora de rosas (Colombia), Rodrigo D (Colombia), and Ratas y ratones (Ecuador) are examples. There is little footage about Cubans during the Special Period (1989-1995). Further, until then no production had directly and realistically focused on Afro-Cuban women. Rolando Díaz's 1998 production, Si me comprendieras …

Marca Peru: Representations And Exclusions Of The Afro-Descendant Population From The Official Narrative Of The Peruvian Government, Ana Lucía Mosquera Rosado

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

The article will examine the representations of Afro-Peruvians in the video "Peru Nebraska," a documentary produced as part of the launching of the advertising campaign of Marca Peru, a national branding project elaborated by the Peruvian government in 2010. By examining the participation of the Afro-descendant population in this audiovisual piece, the document will relate these representations to the discourses of diversity, race, and citizenship in Peru. The article will also explore the nature of the discourses of ethnic and racial diversity in Peru in the new construction of the national and will evaluate the construction of the social …

Sister Ursula De Jesús' Equal Economy Of Salvation, Valérie Benoist

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

The article examines the diary of Peruvian sister Ursula de Jesús, the first known spiritual journal produced by a black woman in colonial Spanish America. The account, written in first person and consisting of fifty-seven folios, mainly describes sister Ursula's visions and her life inside the Lima convent where she came to be highly revered as a mystic during the seventeenth century. The recognition that this black woman gained was particularly high considering that she lived at a time when most people in the Ibero-transatlantic world associated Afro descendants with the Devil. This fact along with the richness of sister …