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Close Reading Book #2

I chose to do a close reading in Part II: The Reconfigured United States, specifically focusing on Chapter 6, also known as “From Estrangement to Affinity: Dilemmas of Identity Among Hispanic Children,” by Patricia Fernandez-Kelly. 

The paragraph will be from a profile of Hispanic families and their children. The analysis will be on 3 groups and 2 locations: Cubans and Nicaraguans in South Florida and Mexicans in Southern California. Data was obtained from a national survey of children of immigrants between 12 and 17 years, conducted from 1992-1996.

(p.98)

I thought this was interesting because this highlighted the fact that not all Latinos have the same experiences using these three groups. In the case of the Nicaraguans, many could not achieve the refugee status in the United States so that affected their legal status and affected their ability to be mobile in the economic hierarchy. The Nicaraguan children face downward mobility that forces them to choose low-paying jobs over education; hence increasing the number of high school dropouts or young, unmarried pregnancies. On the other hand, Cubans are examples of immigrant success. Due to the background of Cubans coming to Miami in the 1960s, many could afford to be self-employed in the business field. Cubans also had support from the U.S. government as there was strong opposition to Castro, which created social networks with resources to make the transition to America easier. A common trait, unique to Cubans, is many could send their children to private school and could afford to. However, through the direct stories mentioned, it is important to realize that this does not mean ALL these groups have the same experiences. Other factors like parental control or location play a role in influencing the identity of Hispanic children. 

Citation:

Bonilla, Frank. Borderless Borders : U. S. Latinos, Latin Americans, and the Paradox of Interdependence, edited by Edwin Melndez, and Rebecca Morales, Temple University Press, 1998. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rutgers-ebooks/detail.action?docID=432902.

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Book #2

Posted by Literature Expert, Nadine

How does transnationalism affect the Latino community, how does political and economic restructuring have a negative impact on the Latino community, and how do Latinos form identities in the midst of living in more than in socio-political setting. Check out the book Borderless Borders : U. S. Latinos, Latin Americans, and the Paradox of Interdependence to learn more. 

Summary

The book is based on a December 1994 conference for the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR) that took place in Italy. The goal was to share research and policy on Latino people, specifically looking at the effects of transnationalism. Together scholars, policy specialists, community advocates, and cultural workers worked on understanding four themes that are similar to how the book is split up. First, is global interdependence, where the main case is the relationship between the United States and Latin America. Included in this is the “movement of capital, models of industrialization, trade, migration, and growing inequality,” (p.x). Next, is the new construction of the United States as Latinos begin to join the workforce and other parts of society. The third focus is diasporas, where communities who share a similar national origin, form a group that fights for political demands or provide resources for immigrants coming in. The last section is an international dialogue, where the participants in the conference shared their different views on how to bring about change that respects Latinos’ human rights and needs. The conclusion of the book is the speculation by Bonilla (the author) that there are new paths in international relations as well as issue-oriented social movements taken up by Latinos.

Please note that this book was published in 1998. 

Citation:

Bonilla, Frank. Borderless Borders : U. S. Latinos, Latin Americans, and the Paradox of Interdependence, edited by Edwin Melndez, and Rebecca Morales, Temple University Press, 1998. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rutgers-ebooks/detail.action?docID=432902.

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Similar to Odio, this song by Romeo Santos named “Promise” uses English and R&B in combination with bachata to produce this song. He also features a famous American artist named Usher. In the music video, the dancers are dancing bachata, despite this mixture of cultures.

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Odio by Romeo Santos changing traditional bachata by using American music genre and language.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amiR7T_wfCk

The song named “Odio”, by Dominican/Puerto Rican artist, Romeo Santos featuring Drake is a prime example of two different music genres coming together to form one. It uses both English and Spanish lyrics. The artist Romeo Santos is Latino, however was raised in the Bronx where hip-hop is very known. This song was not Romeo Santos’ first time using English in his music, but caused a lot of noise due to the famous African-American artist named Drake, which is famous in the American music industry. Romeo Santos tends to sing bachata songs, which is typical in the Latino culture. However, this bachata song had a twist to it and included some hip-pop. Romeo Santos has had many American artists featured in his songs like this one, for example his hit “Promise” that features Usher. Yet, he still considers himself a Latino that grew up in a humble neighborhood in the Bronx. A New York Times post states, “Mr. Santos, who grew up in the Bronx a Yankee fan, calls himself the king of bachata, a genre born in the sugarcane fields of the Dominican Republic, refined in New York City and characterized by rippling guitars, a gently pulsating beat and, in contrast to salsa, an absence of horns. Mr. Santos’s success is a testament not only to the growing influence the nation’s Hispanic population of more than 50 million and his own two decades in the music  business, but also to a new kind of music he has pioneered and mastered. By infusing a traditional Latino sound and its subject matter — romance — with R&B and inflections of hip-hop, Mr. Santos, 32, has created a genre that bridges traditional differences in taste between the Caribbean and Mexican-American worlds while appealing to young Latinos growing up listening to American music.” The fact that Romeo Santos still considers himself “the king of bachata,” goes to show how the mixture of two music genres; one being from the Dominican Republic and the other from the United States is creating new multicultural art. Despite being born in the United States and being a citizen he feels close to his ancestral roots, which he keeps alive through his music. Furthermore, songs like Odio that mix two languages and genres don’t make anything less “Latino”, or “Americanized,” instead it’s a reflection of the artist that doesn’t necessarily feel like they’re from one place, because of their roots and the place they were raised.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/arts/music/in-the-language-of-romance-romeo-santos-is-a-true-superstar.html

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This piece of conceptual art is known as “Word-Find and Latin American Hopscotch”, by Colombian artist, Carolina Mayorga would be the connecting her culture from Colombia and her new culture in the United States. Mayorga was born in Colombia, but moved to the United States at a young age, which after some time in the US was later naturalized. She has been adapting the new culture for more than 20 years, so she is the prime example of a Latinx artist. Her success didn’t rise until she displayed all her art internationally, as she was getting the attention of people in Latin American and the United States. With gaining more attention, she was able to do her first museum show at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington DC. With this artwork, we can see that she puts a set of Latin American country all having the same mission to come to the United States. The blending together of the countries show that we  all come to the United States, so we spread the multi-cultural environments of many countries from Latin America, not just a specific one. The mixing of Mayorga coming from two different culture, but at the end creating an art that brings together both cultures, and not distancing both from each other. 

Citations: 

Mayorga, Caroline, Artist. “Word- find and Latin American hopscotch”, 2008. https://carolinamayorga.com/word-find-and-latin-american-hopscotch/

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Art Expert

Hi, my name is Johan and I am the art expert of our group. My goal is to look at different pieces of art such as conceptual, drawing, painting, and other types of art that paint an image of Latinidad. I will be analyzing the artwork done by Latinxs artists and it will create a conversation of forming of identities. There have been many artists who have come from both Latino and American background who have two sets of cultures that they have to get accustomed too. For instance, artists that have migrated to the states from a young age to create a better life show their art work in the mix cultures that they have experienced through in their time in the United States. Also, artists who are born in the United States but have a cultural connection to Latin America by their family members, also spread the meaning of Latinidad with their painting or sculptures. 

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Bronco Billy and the Greaser (1914)- An Introduction to Latinos in Hollywood

Poster: Angelica Pavesio, Film Expert

Broncho Billy and the Greaser is one of Hollywood’s first films featuring a Latino. In this film, the main character’s name is Broncho Billy and the film begins with Broncho Billy greeting a white woman by the name of Marguerite Clayton, and entering the town’s post office. Not long after, we are introduced to our Latino character, the greaser. The greaser is depicted as a Mexican “half-breed,” and he enters the post office, cutting the line and wielding a gun. Concerned with the greaser’s behavior, Broncho Billy escorts him out of the office. This angers the greaser, who then plots revenge. We can see that the Latino in this film continues to be depicted as an immoral individual, for he is seen getting drunk, holding the “hero” Broncho Billy hostage, and trying to kill him. 

This film clearly shows the United States’ attitude towards Latino during this era. To white people, Latinos were dangerous and incapable of acting civil. We know that these were the sentiments of white people because there were no Latinos involved in the production of this film. Despite the greaser’s depiction as a Latino, the actor himself was white and used blackface to attain the appearance of a dark-skinned Latino. 

Why were Latinos depicted in such a negative manner? In “Latino Cinema,” professor David R. Maciel explains “[Latinos’] treatment [in cinema]— just as was the case with Anglo American academic and literary works of the era — was characterized by a questioning of their lack of assimilation of Latinos into North American society” (Maciel 312). During a time before World War I, many Latinos immigrated to the United States to flee the poverty and violence occurring in Latin America. But when World War I started in 1914, Americans became hyper-aware of foreigners after hearing about the tragedies occurring in Europe. Due to this hyper-awareness of foreigners, there was a significant move for foreigners to assimilate into American culture. Maciel explains that many Latinos chose not to assimilate, and white Americans were uncomfortable with this choice. Due to the fact that this film was released during the first year of World War I, we can assume that the depiction of Latinos in Broncho Billy and the Greaser came as a result of wartime paranoia, causing white Americans to hold racist notions towards Latinos. 

During 1914 which is the year this movie came out, Hollywood still had a long way to becoming Latinx. Hollywood was an all-white industry at the time, and Latinxs had no voice in the making of this film. We cannot view Latinxs’ true identities through this film because the Latino identity shown in this film was merely reflective of white Americans’ xenophobia, which was, in part, a result of the start of World War I. 

Citations:

Anderson, Gilbert M, director. Broncho Billy and the Greaser. The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, 1914.

Maciel, David R. “Latino Cinema.” Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States: Literature and Art, Arte Público Press, 1993, pp. 312–331.

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 Posted by: Literature Expert, Marvin

Denice Frohman is a poet, performer, and educator from New York City. As a queer Latina, Frohman is the daughter of Puerto Rican and Jewish parents. She hopes to inspire people, particularly young queer people of color, to know that their stories are worth telling.

“After her family arrives she will learn there are some borders you can’t cross by foot/ Anna-Maria is now 10 years old she’s learned enough English to translate for her parents/ but says that her thick accent is still a problem/ she tries to fix by leaving in her locker/ When the teachers calls on her to read she tries to speak proper/ Like proper has a sound”

Frohman contextualizes immigration policy in the United States by emphasizing how crucial the work of immigrants was in the construction of the American economy. While this work provided them with higher pay compared to their home countries, their work was still undervalued and underpaid. She then looks at immigration through a transnational lens where she states that there are other border immigrants have to cross in the United States that are not physical. Immigrant children who can translate documents for their parents are often mocked for their accents and find it necessary to speak proper English, otherwise they face racist backlash from the classmates. Immigrants parents are forced to work domestic jobs, these sacrifices are made to help their children pursue a better life with the opportunity of higher education. Frohman also speaks on the borders and fences imposed on undocumented college student who are not afforded financial aid or pay out-of-state tuition. Frohman speaks on the invisible borders faced by undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Migrants face discrimination on many accounts that devalues their presence and work in this country.

Citation

Frohman, Denise. “Borders.” Denise Frohman, https://www.denicefrohman.com/watch

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Post by: Literature Expert, Marvin

Yosimar Reyes first felt the power of words when people used them against him. Reflecting on their force as an expression of spirit, he realized that he could use words instead as agents of healing. The 26 year old Guerrero, Mexico-born, East Side San Jose-raised queer poet activist has built a life around language, legality and self-identification.

“Why is that every time I think about my home? / My heart stops at the idea of living in poverty/ When in reality I have been living below the poverty line my whole life/ There’s a social construction in my head that America is better/ that America will grant me freedom/ that America will grant me proper education/ that America is a place of justice/ When the reality is that I have never seen the fruit of any of these promises”

He contextualizes his experience as an immigrant and how poverty has forced his migration to the United States. The reality of living in the United States is that he still combats poverty, racism and homophobia. America has been glorified as this place of opportunity and freedom, when these benefits are only allocated to White people who benefit of the cheap labor of migrants. The American Dream promises freedom, justice, and proper education but undocumented immigrants like Reyes have not seen the outcomes. Instead they must hide in the shadows because of the fear of deportation and succumb to low-wage jobs as American corporations target immigrants for their cheap labor. U.S. intervention has created a transnational identity where immigrants are not afforded humanity because of legality.

“Abuelita’s heart is broken/ Ella no tiene la lengua para explicarle al president de sus milpas de café/ She is not a Dreamer/ There is no deferred action for her/ No immigration reform for her/ She will never be American”

Reyes begins his poem by discussing the political identity of his grandmother; he mentions how his grandmother has never identified as undocumented to describe her existence. People in his community never talk about legal statuses. This goes to prove statuses of legality are social constructs imposed by the United States, rather than a political identity, they are the reality for folks. Reyes highlights how social constructions that idealize America as a place of justice or freedom encapsulate the American Dream, but this dream has never been a reality for undocumented immigrants who are subjugated to unjust laws. He fears the reality for his grandmother who will never be a Dreamer or at the center of immigration reform. Reyes story emphasizes the difficulties for his grandmother and her undocumented status in the United States. Instead of politicizing her identity he regards her humanity as a reality that undocumented folks face. Breaking the stigma of the deserving immigrant he uses his grandma’s story to justify her existence in the United States.

Citation:

Reyes, Yosimar. “The Legalities of Being.” Yosimar Reyes, http://yosimarreyes.com/videos

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Literature Expert

HI EVERYONE, my name is Marvin and I am the second literature expert who will be focusing on poetry. My focus on poetry stems from the ideologies of the great Black feminist Audre Lorde “Poetry is Not a Luxury,” meaning poetry is something easily accessible that does not require higher education to read or publish. Poetry allows those not in academia, a platform to contextualize and analyze their experiences as Latinx folks. I have chosen a couple of Latinx spoken word poets who will express the lives of both undocumented and documented immigrants and how they perform citizenship in the United States. Legality is a social construct that is enforced and criminalized by the U.S. government in order to extend border control. By analyzing the lives of undocumented youth it becomes evident how they are forced to pursue an education to become the idealized version of a dreamer and only then is their humanity and parents sacrifice recognized. This theme of legality highlights how the undocumented movement focuses on transnationalism and how borders exist outside of the realm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These poets describe their experiences on how they battle various forms of racism and xenophobia in the United States. By being a creative on an accessible platform their poetry allows for their voices to be heard all over the world.

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Film Expert Intro

Hello! My name is Angelica and I am the film expert for our group. The main purpose of my segment is to analyze Hollywood’s representation of Latinxs through film and answer the question “At what point does Hollywood become Latinx?” As you may know, since Hollywood was established as a major movie production industry in 1912, the movies that have been released in Hollywood were produced by predominantly white, male directors. The way Latinxs have been portrayed through film has changed dramatically throughout the years, and the changes in these portrayals are reflective of Latinx migration to the United States and shifts in U.S. societal understandings of Latinxs. I will be analyzing various Hollywood films from different eras of film. Each film has varying levels of Latinx involvement and these levels of involvement also contextualize the views of Latinidad transnationally at specific time periods. It is important to analyze these films to view how the gradual acquirement of a voice in Hollywood allowed Latinxs to proclaim their identities to the nation.

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In this video, Mary Romero presents a short visual essay that focuses on how mass media presents Latinos/Latinas in American culture. The main ideas expressed include the presentation of a female Latina as promiscuous, flirtatious, and sexy. This also includes the creation of stereotypes which surround the Latinx community as mentioned in the video. For example, latinos being portrayed as gang members, immigrants who speak broken English, and a working class. This creates a cultural oppression because as individuals, we use what we see and hear around us. In turn, this creates a narrowed representation of the Latinx.  This provides background information on the portrayal of Latinx in mass media, exposure to color blind racism and how transnational views are erased by the mainstream media. 

YouTube: Media Representation of Latinos/as. Romero, Marty. November 6, 2013. 29 Oct. 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A21X7qhSUE

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Risas Rizos is a social media influencer who is half Mexican and half Honduras. In this video, she discusses the Project Enye and shares her lived experience as a Latina and an American. The main focus of the project is to transform how individuals think and speak about culture, identity, and what it means to belong. Rizos is promoting this project by sharing her experience with identity crisis. She uses the example of “bad hair” and how Latino hair is perceived in society and within their own diasporas.  She uses the example of comparing her hair to “witch’s hair” and how it was so different from her American friends. In addition, she shared her experience as a bilingual child and her struggle with the two cultures she was raised in. She admits it was hard for her to be American and it was hard for to be a Latina. She uses her social media platform in order to spread awareness of this project. Even more, it is a documentary project which aims to find Enyes-first born Americans of Latinos in order to share their stories and lived experience to find a way to belong. It is a great example of how social media is used to think about race and when an individual becomes latino. It is a great conversation starter to explore the project Enye about how we think about Latinidad being portrayed in mainstream media.

YouTube:#Enyes Count|Fiesta Friday. Rizos Risas. May 22, 2015. 29 Oct. 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=511&v=0odENUyNDjQ

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Social Media Expert

Hi, my name is Anna and I am the social media expert in my group. As we know social media has become more popular over the recent years. People are using Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook as part of their daily routine and in order to connect with others who are like them. It is an essential way to communicate. The main point of my individual segment is to show how social media influencers who are part of the latinx community use mass media platforms to express their transnational views with race in today’s world in the United States of America. It ties back to my group’s overall main point because social media is a great example of how latino/a individuals think about race and when an individual becomes latino. As an individual shapes his/her identity growing up, internet is one of the platforms that they can express themselves freely. Lastly, social media is one of the platforms that shows how latinos are being portrayed in mainstream media.

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Book #1 Close Reading

Post by: Literature Expert, Nadine 

I felt this following paragraph was very powerful and essential to point out to readers about the bodies of Latinas:

“The Latina body is not a stranger to popular culture representation. Unfortunately, however, our bodies have been stereotyped and represented in less than desirable ways. In this section, I will examine “tropicalization” the ways in which pan-ethnic difference is erased and subsumed under the umbrella “Latina,” as well as other common stereotypical representations of the Latina body. The representation of the Latina body has been influenced by racial discourse which is often framed by the binary of Black/White. Such a binary erases difference between races and creates a Latina body that is ethnically undifferentiated  As cultural theorists point out, this undifferentiated Latina body made it easy for a Puerto Rican woman (Jennifer Lopez) to be cast in the role of Mexican performer Selena. The general public did not care about ethnic specificity, only that a Brown body played the role. The ethnically undifferentiated Latina body is a product of “tropicalism,” defined by Frances R. Aparicio and Susana Chavez-Silverman as “the system of ideological fictions with which the dominant (Anglo European) cultures trope Latin American and US Latina/o identities and cultures.” Tropicalism erases ethnic specificity and instead helps construct homogeneous stereotypes such as bright colors, rhythmic music, and brown skin that are represented in visual texts. Although Ugly Betty, as an overall text, represents Chicana/o identity, these representations are often either stereotypical or used to get laughs from the audience.” (329-330)

In Acto 3, Jennifer Espito uses “Ugly Betty” a popular telenovela to point out how visual images we see have the power to construct the values we believe are true. Relating this to Latina bodies, there is a battle that exists for Latinas that often have to face a world where the norm is slender bodies (329). In Popular Culture, as referenced in the paragraph above, the Latina body is often oversexed and seen as sexually available due to tropicalism, which is evident in many music videos that Latin@ artists post. Often, Latinas are described to be “exotic” like an object that brings curiosity and fascination from the oversexualization that people witness in videos that force Latinas to conform to unrealistic norms. This paragraph brings up the notion of how Hollywood actually is misrepresenting marginalized bodies like those of Latinas and are created from sexist, racist notions (331). Betty, is a character who doesn’t fit the standards of society and is often degraded or made a joke of that, which is a sad reality for many Latinas. The viewers unconsciously learn that only certain (slim) bodies are acceptable and usually takes discipline like food consumption that can result in bad eating habits for Latinas.  I chose to do a close reading on this subsection because I watched the Spanish version “Betty La Fea” that presented a different perspective to the story. One of the lessons was that lower class women can be beautiful when they learn the mannerisms of the upper class and this is an example of how class, not appearance is emphasized in a storyline that is being broadcasted in two different regions. I would say that the Spanish version is more realistic and examines real issues like racism, sexism etc while the American version is more humor based (341). Overall, I think the two versions show insight into the differences between cultures, but also how what you watch can shape your thoughts about yourself and give an understanding of the struggles of Latinas around the world. 

Citation:

Performing the US Latina and Latino Borderlands, edited by Arturo J. Aldama, et al., Indiana University Press, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rutgers-ebooks/detail.action docID=1025599.

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Literature Expert, Nadine Presents Book #1

My first book is called Performing the US Latina and Latino Borderlands, edited by Arturo J. Aldama, et al., where editors address how Latin@s in various types of performances express cultural identity. Active in scenes that range from music, theater, dance to fashion, Latin@s have demonstrated how they believe their cultural identities are or should be perceived. What is created is a crossover between Latin American and American cultures that transcend physical boundaries. Adding to conversations that other experts will mention from performances like spoken word, I will hope to begin a discussion of how Latinidad can be creatively shown. I will speak generally on how Latin@s are using these platforms to express their identities, but please check out other experts’ posts to see more specific works from individuals. 

This book is split up into four Actos that include subsections that relate back to the main themes. Actos 1 has a theme of “performing emancipation” where the mentioned research projects show how liberation is the result of “inner work” and public acts.” One section of Acto 1 is “Body as Codex-ized Word” where scholar Diaz-Sanchez discusses pan-indigenous rites and rituals, visual aesthetics and storytelling inventions (9). The performances utilize the body to deliver messages that audiences can then witness inner dialogues that normally would be invisible. One point mentioned that stood out to me was when performer Rodriguez, attempted to re-enact a traditional danza Azteca (Aztec dance), but the audience laughs as they can see she cannot perform the dance as she is relying on embodied memory (37). What the reader can understand is that this Aztec dancer is confidently executing dance phrases that lose touch of the “true” spiritual practices of the Indigenous culture. So, the message is that even though traditional instruments are being employed, there lacks specific details of ritual dances that would’ve been used previously hence Rodriguez is criticizing modern images and performances that do the same: failing to really embody the traditional Aztec dances because it is all based on memory and performers then try to emphasize points of rituals that were never really connecting to the spirit of the dance (37).  

Acto 2 is about “Ethnographies of Performance” where examples of visual theater and audio soundtrack of the Borderlands like the “Rio Grande and Beyond” are shown. In a section for all the picture-loving individuals under Nericcio’s fifth frame, “The Hunt is on for more jobs in Laredo” there is a surprising analysis that stood out to me. Billboards are not just advertisements that we pass by while driving, they all have deeper meanings that reflect the times we live in. Laredo, a Texas town, at the time of the image, had an economy that was improving from a crisis. Economies between the border that exist between the United States and Mexico have a relationship that affects each other immensely when there is turmoil. Mexican goods become cheap when the currency values plunge, where in Laredo, Texan merchants began to struggle with their business. Laredo is one of the richest oil and gas regions in the county, yet jobs are still wanted; demonstrating that the target audience that Laredo National Bank wants is those who would be rejected (172). The Bank employs two languages, English and Spanish, catering to the different customers who would visit by also including dollar and peso exchanges. What we see here is that visuals can you tell about a town and transnational community that exists like in Laredo, Texas where Latin@s and non-Latin@s co-exist. This is a story that often is ignored. 

Acto 3 is called “Nepantla Aesthetics in the Trans/Nacional” where an analysis of the emergence of a relationship with third-space meanings between inner work, public acts, or ethnographic studies is being examined. This Acto, I will post a close paragraph analysis in the next post as I think the messages are very important to emphasize and will be discussed by the expert, Anna. Tiffany Ana Lopez writes about Josefina Lopez’s play “Real Women have Curves” that showed how production also emphasizes connections for audience to feel the messages of storylines. As the play has scenes in a garment factory, the theater itself had the audience watch in a similar heated environment so that they felt apart of the story. Showing differences between what Spanish audience versus American audiences (Hollywood) want: the Hollywood film centered the struggle of an individual while the play shows a collective body of women who struggle (300). The most important messages are often distorted in Hollywood as the film shows a break with the ideals of beauty and body image while the play includes political action needed to change the body images Latina women are unrealistically held against. I will include a close discussion of telenovela “Ugly Betty” another section in this Acto in the following post. 

Acto 4: “(De) Criminalizing Bodies: Ironies of Performance.” explores outlaw performances that seek to destroy or traumatize or enable healing for the emancipation and decolonization of the community. Humor is powerful and people often like to hear a joke to brighten their days. However, not all jokes are funny and can be stated as racist in their messaging. Jennifer Dickinson speaks about how anti-Latino immigrant humor is often portrayed in the comedies that are popular today. In response, Latino performers face the opportunity to demonstrate their craft while also facing obstacles. Latino comedians show the counternarratives to promote an pro-immigrant agenda. This subsection will discuss the work of the Latino Comedy Project, an Austin-based group. What is heard is a mixture of popular culture and political humor (421). Some performers like John Leguizamo reclaim derogatory terms like “spic” to discuss Latino stereotypes that they may face themselves and use it to criticize the dominant representations of the community. I thought it was interesting that one point made is how Latino comedians provide cultural translation that become a joke like the following:

“ A chancla is a flip flop. And is also used by Mexican mothers to beat the hell out of their kids” (423)

This is unique to Latino comedians who have to add in translations for non-audiences even when many of the messages are actually toying with cultural symbols to make a broader message against what the dominant society believes based on stereotypes. 

I will end this summary with a quote that summarizes the point of this book: 

“The struggle to performance Latinidad is literally a struggle of bodies, minds, emotions, space, and being” (19). 

Citation:

Performing the US Latina and Latino Borderlands, edited by Arturo J. Aldama, et al., Indiana University Press, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rutgers-ebooks/detail.action docID=1025599.

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Literature Expert 1/2

Hi, I’m Nadine, one of the two literature experts. The main point of my segment is using peer-viewed non-fiction books to provide different perspectives to our topic that other experts in our group will discuss as well. I will be writing short book reviews to allow for viewers of our Tumblr page to be able to explore conversations that exists in the literary world. Based on my chosen sources, I will be providing more background information on how Latinidad is shaped and how Latinidad is expressed using books that are written by experts from the fields of Sociology, Anthropologists etc. that are published in Universities’ Presses that means these are research driven publications that stem from years of gathering data to the topic of Latinidad.  My chosen books all involve Latinxs forming their identities while challenging the notions of Latinidad in ways that include how they express themselves in various platforms to dealing with the environment that gives them experiences that makes them accept or reject parts of Latinidad. Also noting, literature itself is a form of expression, so some of the authors I’ve chosen are addressing this topic of Latinidad since they share similar experiences and want to understand at what point do Latinxs become Latinxs as it impacts them personally. They are writing to bring more awareness to the idea that there is a creation of Latinxs that transcend borders that can be seen in the United States.