This course uses ethnography to examine Latina/o/Latinx experiences in cities, suburbs, borders, and rural spaces across the United States, and in relation to Latin America and the Caribbean. We will consider how categories such as “Latina/o,” “Hispanic,” “Chicana/o,” and “Latinx” come to represent persons from a range of nationalities, racialized social relations, and colonial and immigrant histories. Key questions will include: how does the linguistic naming of a category play a role in creating “community,” inclusivity, and political movements? How have scholars and people challenged such categorizations of identity? In addition, we will explore the complexities of militarism and Latino youth, the innovative use of language and bodily practices of girl gangs, as well as interventions made by feminist and LGBT Latina/o/Latinx scholars. Given that the immigration experience is central for many Latina/o communities, we will learn about the transnational connections of migrants, some of whom did not make it through their journey, and how their stories connect to kin, homes, and labor in Mexico and different parts of the Americas.
- Teacher: Xochitl Ruiz