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latin american studies

Cinema, Slavery, and Brazilian Nationalism

By studying Brazilian films released between 1976 and 2005, Gordon examines how the films both define the national community and influence viewer understandings of "Brazilianness." Though the films he examines span decades, they all communicate their revised version of Brazilian national identity through a cinematic strategy with a dual aim: to upset ingrained ways of thinking about Brazil and to persuade those who watch the films to accept a new way of understanding their national community. 

Date:
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Location:
Niles Gallery

Race and the Chilean Miracle: Neoliberalism, Democracy and Indigenous Rights in Chile

 

In this talk, Dr. Richards will examine the conflicts as well as the multicultural policies that have developed in response to indigenous claims in Chile. She will argue that racism is paradoxically reinscribed by policies that on their face seem to be about diversity and acceptance of difference. Richards will bring attention to how the process of generating consent for the state’s construction of indigenous subjects in the context of neoliberalism is not only imposed from above, but also informed by competing worldviews at the local level. 

Sponsored by: Sociology Department and co-sponsored by the International Studies and Latin American Studies Programs.

Date:
Location:
1545 Patterson Office Tower

Third Wave Coffee, Maya Farmers, and the Anthropology of Wellbeing

His talk focuses on specialty coffee markets and Maya farmers in Guatemala. The best coffees these days are selling for astronomical prices and even though farmers are not getting rich, they are benefitting from the market boom and have high hopes for coffee. 

Date:
Location:
Patterson Office Tower 18th floor West End Room
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Graduate Travel Grants

University of Kentucky Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies Program Travel Grants for Research in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies Program invites UK Graduate Students to apply for grants in support of summer research. Graduate students with a focus or interest in Latin America will be considered for the award. The awards are $500 for domestic travel and $700 for international travel. Funds can be used towards travel, lodging, meals and other research-related expenses.

A guide to Día de los muertos celebrations in Lexington

Availability

Fall 23 office hours: Monday 9:30-11:30 and 2-3, Wednesday and Friday 9:30-11:30. Other times via Zoom by appointment.

Education

PhD, Hispanic Studies University of Kentucky

MA, Spanish University of Kentucky

BA, Spanish Berea College

Biography

I teach a wide variety of courses, including Intermediate Spanish, Spanish American culture, Spanish for Heritage Speakers, and the service-learning course Hispanic Kentucky. I am particularly interested in finding practical and professional ways for students to engage with our local Latinx communities and use Spanish in practical, personal ways. Currently my teaching emphasis includes instructional design and service-learning curricular development, in particular in relation to inclusive and digital pedagogies

In my role as Director of Elementary Language Instruction, I provide administrative oversight and supervise the instruction of the six courses in our elementary and intermediate Spanish language sequence. This work involves managing the curriculum for these classes, providing professional development and mentoring for the Graduate Teaching Assistants who teach these classes, and conducting program evaluations.

My research applies the field of migration studies to our local context through the collection and documentation of the histories and cultures of Kentucky’s Hispanic and Latino people and communities through the in-progress Kentucky Hispanic Heritage Project (https://khhp.createuky.net/). I also enjoy studying creative narratives (films, short stories, novels, and chronicles) about Hispanic and Latinx communities in Kentucky and migration in the Spanish-speaking world, in particular Mexico and Central America.

Beyond the university, I have many years of experience working and traveling in Mexico and the US-Mexico Border region.  I worked with Lexington's Hispanic community for over seven years as a social services provider, health educator, interpreter/translator, and community organizer. During that time, I made many trips to Mexico, visiting the states from which Kentucky's migrants hail and getting to know the Mexican health care system and reasons why people choose to migrate. In 2013-14 I served as Director for Georgetown College's Inmersión en Español Spanish Immersion Program. I have also participated in activities with the Foundation for Latin American and Latin@ Culture and Arts, the Latino Leadership and College Experience Camp, and the Lexington Latino Festival Health Fair planning committee.

Selected Publications:

"‘It’s Important that Diversity is the Hub of Lexington’s Growth’/ ‘Es importante que la diversidad sea el foco del desarrollo en Lexington’.” Kentucky Hispanic Heritage Project, 31 May 2023.

“Migration Chronicles: Reporting on the Paradoxes of Migrant Visibility.” Textos Híbridos: Revista de estudios sobre la crónica latinoamericana. 2.1 (2012)

“Tensiones heterogéneas: La redefinición de lo subalterno en Sab y Aves sin nido." Retomando la palabra: las pioneras del xix en diálogo con la crítica contemporánea. Claire Martin and Nelly Goswitz, eds. (forthcoming from Iberoamicano in June 2012)

“El activismo local de Maquilapolis: Armonizando la mirada femenina con una política de lugar.” Letras femeninas 36.2 (2010): 199-213.

Review of Woman and Change at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Mobility, Labor, and Activism. Journal of Cultural Geography 26.2 (2009): 248-9.

“Chronicling the Border: Chicano Advocacy in a Mexican Genre in Across the Wire.” Enkidu Magazine 2008 Summer Conference Proceedings.

Submitted by rrehle0 on Wed, 10/30/2013 - 12:42 pm

It’s a good weekend to be a hispanista in Lexington. Granted we’ve had a great fall; from the Lexington Latino Festival to the many activities surrounding the Arts and Sciences Passport ¡Viva México! program, those of us who love the Spanish language and Hispanic culture have been busy. Still, this Friday and Saturday are special. 

This weekend we celebrate Día de los muertos, or Day of the Dead, a well-known holiday that has become increasingly popular in the US. On November 1st and 2nd, families throughout Latin America (but especially in Mexico) build altars and visit cemeteries to remember loved ones who have passed away. The holiday is joyous, despite the macabre theme. Día de los muertos is a time to laugh with death, to accept the fact that we’re all headed that way eventually, and to give those we have lost a place at our table for the night. Here are some suggestions for how you can celebrate this weekend, just follow the hyperlinks to more information about and directions to the events. ¡Qué vivan los muertos!

Preparations

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