ANTHROPOLOGY 169
Latinos in the U.S.
Prof. Luis A. Vivanco, T-Th 9:30-10:45, Rowell 110
Spring 2003
Course Readings and Schedule
Note: All readings are either from required course texts or on reserve in the Bailey-Howe Library or the Anthropology Department office (509 Williams Hall)
Seeking tips on reading for this course? See my 'Reflections on Reading for this Anthropology Class'
'Latino/a' Cultures and Identities in the Contemporary Americas: A Conceptual Map
Course Introduction
Tues. 1/14: Introduction to the course, instructor's expectations, requirements, etc.
No reading
Thurs. 1/16: Remapping the Americas and the Invention of the "Latino/a"
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 3-42.
(R) 2. Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, A. Excerpt from 'The Account.'
Tues. 1/21: Putting 'Culture' to the Test: What is 'Cultural' about Latinos?
Reading: 1. Klor de Alva, J.J. 'Telling Hispanics Apart: Latino Sociocultural Diversity.' In The Hispanic Experience in the United States. Acosta-Belen and Sjostrom, eds., pp. 107-36.
2. Rosaldo, R. 'Border Crossings.' In Culture and Truth: The Remaking of Social Analysis, pp. 196-217.
Latinos and Ethnic/Racial Labels
Thurs. 1/23: Latinos, Race and Identity
Film: 'Mirrors of the Heart'
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 143-62.
2. Shorris, E. 'Racism and Racismo.' In Latinos: A Biography of the People, pp. 146-71.
Tues. 1/28: Social Relations of Difference Beyond 'La Raza,' Cultural Nationalism and the 'Culture of Poverty.'
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 63-100.
2. Lewis, O. 'The Culture of Poverty.' In La Vida: A Puerto Rican Family in the Culture of Poverty - San Juan and New York, pp. xlii-lv.
Thurs. 1/30: Identities in Movement, Exile and Across Borders: Rethinking Ethnicity and Multiculturalism
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 43-62.
2. Burciaga, 'Return to the Motherland.' In Drink Cultura, pp. 45-55.
Borderlands as Cultural Spaces, Places, Experiences, and Theory Borderlands and Cultural (Dis)Locations
Tues. 2/4: Borderlands as Spaces of Cultural Production
Reading: 1. Border Visions, Introduction, pp. 3-11.
2. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 129-42.
3. Gomez-Pena, G. 'Documented/Undocumented.' In Warrior for Gringostroika
Thurs. 2/6: Cultural Histories in the Greater Southwest
Film: 'Mundo Milagroso'
Reading: 1. Border Visions, Chapters 1-2 (Part One), pp. 13-87.
Tues. 2/11: The Cultural Politics of Survival and Revival
Reading: 1. Border Visions, Chapter 3, pp. 89-136.
Thurs. 2/13: The "Distribution of Sadness"
In-class debate: "Resolved: NAFTA is good for the U.S.-Mexico border"
Reading: 1. Border Visions, Chapters 4-5, pp. 137-206.
Latinos, Political Ecology and Environmental(ist) Racism
Tues. 2/18: Latino Cultures, Ecology and Environmentalism
Film: "Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country"
Reading: 1. Pena, D. 'Los Animalitos: Culture, Ecology, and the Politics of Place in the Upper Rio Grande.' In Chicano Culture, Ecology, Politics: Subversive Kin, pp. 25-57.
Course Logbook due in class Tues. 2/22
Thurs. 2/20: Latinos and the Quest for Environmental Justice
Guest: Hector Saez
Reading: 1. Bullard, R. 'The Threat of Environmental Racism' NR&E Winter 1993.
2. EPICA Task Force, 'U.S. Industrialization and its Environmental Impact.' In Puerto Rico: A People Challenging Colonialism, pp. 55-8.
Latino Lives Invisible, Unequal and 'On the Hyphen'
Immigration, Invisibility and the 'American Dream'(Nightmare?)
Tues. 2/25: Immigration as Lived Experience
Reading: 1. The Tortilla Curtain, Part 1, pp. 3-142.
2. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 243-56.
3. Pietri, P. 'Puerto Rican Obituary.'
Thurs. 2/27: Circuits of Migration
Film: "Oaxacalifornia"
Reading: 1. Quinones, S. (2001) "Zeus and the Oaxaca Hoops." In True Tales from Another Mexico, U. New Mexico Press, pp. 117-35.
2. Grey and Woodrick (2002) "Unofficial Sister Cities: Meatpacking Labor Migration between Villachuato, Mexico and Marshalltown, Iowa." Human Organization 61(4): 364-76.
Tues. 3/4: Town Meeting Day Recess (no class)
Thurs. 3/6: Latin American Immigration Politics
In-class debate: 'Resolved: Immigration from Latin America should be curbed.'
Reading: 1. The Tortilla Curtain, Parts 2-3, pp. 145-355.
Latino/a Gender Relations and Sexualities
Tues. 3/11: (Re)Defining Gender Relations and Women's Roles
Film: "Home is Struggle: Historias Paralelas"
Reading: 1. Repack, T. 'New Roles in a New Landscape.' In Challenging Fronteras: Structuring Latina and Latino Lives in the U.S., pp. 247-57.
2. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 193-205.
Thurs. 3/13: On Manhood and Machismo
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 211-39.
2. Anaya, R. ''I'm the King:' The Macho Image.' In Muy Macho: Latino Men Confront their Manhood. pp. 57-73.
Tues. 3/18-Thurs. 3/20: Spring Break (no class)
Latino/a Popular Cultures
Tues. 3/25: Media(ting) Latinos/as
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 129-42.
2. Davila, A. (2002) "Talking Back: Spanish Media and U.S. Latinidad" In Latino/a Popular Culture, Habel-Pallan and Romero, eds., pp. 25-37.
Thurs. 3/27: The Invention of "Musica Latina"
Reading: 1. Rivera, R. (2002) "Hip Hop and New York Puerto Ricans." In Latino/a Popular Culture, Habel-Pallan and Romero, eds., pp.
Course Logbook due in class Thurs. 3/27
The Cultural Politics of Language and Bilingualism
Tues. 4/1: Mapping Spanish, Spanglish, and Bilingualism
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 101-25.
(Recommended) 2. Ramirez, 'Spanish in the United States.' In The Hispanic Experience in the United States. Acosta-Belen and Sjostrom, eds., pp. 187-205.
Thurs. 4/3: Language Politicized
In-class debate: 'Resolved: English should be the official language of the United States.'
Reading: 1. Castro, M. 'The Politics of Language in Miami' In Challenging Fronteras: Structuring Latina and Latino Lives in the U.S., pp. 280-95.
2. Anzaldua, G. 'How to Tame a Wild Tongue.' In Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, pp. 53-64.
The 'Latino Metropolis' as National and Transnational Crossroads
Latinos in Urban Contexts
Tues. 4/8: Latinos in Urban Contexts, Part 1
Film: 'Retratos'
Reading: 1. City on the Edge, pp. xi-xiv, 1-37.
2. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 257-70.
Thurs. 4/10: Latinos in Urban Contexts, Part 2
Reading: 1. City on the Edge, pp. 38-107.
Tues. 4/15: The Transformation of Southern Florida
Reading: 1. City on the Edge, pp. 123-75.
Thurs. 4/17: Latinos and 'Interracial Conflict'
Reading: 1. City on the Edge, pp. 176-227.
2. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 180-9.
'America' and the Politics of the Future
Tues. 4/22: Latinos and Anti-Immigrant Legislation
In-class debate: 'Resolved: Undocumented aliens should not receive social service benefits.'
Reading: 1. Johnson, K. 'Immigration, Popular Democracy, and California's Proposition 187.' In The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader, pp. 110-7.
2. Garcia, R. 'The Racial Politics of Proposition 187.' The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader, pp. 118-24.
3. Martinez, R. 'Prop. 187: Birth of a Movement?' In In Byrd, ed. The Late Great Mexican Border: Reports from a Disappearing Line, pp. 146-55.
Thurs. 4/24: Cultural Citizenship and Pan-Latinidad
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 271-80.
2. Rosaldo, R. 'Cultural Citizenship, Inequality and Multiculturalism.' In Flores and Benmayor, Latino Cultural Citizenship: Reclaiming Identity, Space and Rights, pp. 27-38.
Course Logbook due in class Thurs. 4/24
Tues. 5/2: Conclusion: Revisiting 'Latino' as 'Ethnic Minority'
Reading: 1. Latino Studies Reader, pp. 281-93.
2. Border Visions, pp. 265-73.
Final Exam TBA