LATS 105
Latina/o Identities: Constructions, Contestations, and Expressions Fall 2024
Division II

What, or who, is a Hispanic or Latina/o/x? How have these shifting terms tried to encompass the identities and experiences of such large and diverse groups of peoples? In this course, we focus on the complex nature of “identity,” as we delve into the interdisciplinary field that has emerged to give voice to groups that were too often excluded from or misrepresented in academic disciplines and discourses. Viewing identities as historically and socially constructed, we assess how racial, ethnic, class, and gendered identities take shape within specific contexts in the Hispanic Caribbean and Latin America, as well as in the United States. We examine the impact of (im)migration and the rearticulation of identities in the United States, as we consider that each group has a unique history, settlement pattern, community formation, and transnational activities. Identity is also a contested terrain. As immigrants and migrants arrive, the United States’ policymakers, the media, and others seek to define the “newcomers” along with long-term Latina/o citizens. At the same time, Latinas/os rearticulate, live, assert, and express their own sense of identity. We examine these diverse expressions as they relate to questions of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and national origins.