Critical Dialogues in Latinx Studies

Abstract

Critical Dialogues in Latinx Studies approaches the social histories and contemporary lives of a diverse range of Latina and Latino populations, including immigrants, exiles, refugees, and US-born groups from across the Americas. Adopting a comparative ethnic studies lens that captures histories of US imperialism, local and transnational perspectives on community, national and pan-ethnic identifications, and diverse social and demographic trends, this anthology emphasizes the breadth and dynamism of the ideas, debates, and questions that drive the dynamic field of Latinx/a/o Studies. The edited volume is unique, not only in its comparative, humanistic social science focus but also in its structure and organization of key discussions, what we call “critical diálogos,” in Latinx/a/o Studies. The anthology deliberately considers each contribution, not exclusively as a stand-alone piece but as part of a larger disciplinary theme and interdisciplinary conversation. This specific “diálogo framing” allows readers to identify specific areas of thematic interest, while remaining unavoidably attentive to the diversity and complexity of the everyday lives of Latinx populations, the political economic structures that shape enduring racialization and cultural stereotyping, and the continuing efforts to carve out new lives as diasporic, transnational, global, and colonial subjects. Critical Dialogues in Latinx Studies will introduce scholars and students to new approaches, theoretical trends, and understudied topics in Latinx/a/o Studies, while also fostering rigorous classroom discussion and scholarly research in a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research areas.