Cassandra Whisenant (West Virginia University)
Halle Keane (Yale University)
Despite possessing intersecting histories and languages, Latin American studies and Latinx studies have historically been treated as separate fields of study. This panel seeks to spark a dialogue between fields by exploring themes of transhemispheric and archipelagic solidarity in Latinx and Latin American literature and media. Throughout the past and present century, how have Latinx and Latin American media—literature, film, art, or other forms—constructed expressions of community in dialogue with each other? How do works from Latin America reverberate in Latinx cultural productions, and how do Latinx cultural productions influence Latin American media? How do these intersections challenge our notions of the borders, both theoretical and physical, between both territories? Literature, film, art, and other forms have a long history as modes of cultural preservation and empowerment, especially in Latin American and Latinx communities. What can we discover about these communities and their agency through a borderlands approach to Latin American and Latinx studies?
While submissions from Latin American and Latinx studies will be considered, papers explicitly engaging in solidarities between the two disciplines will be prioritized. Submissions in English, Spanish, and Portuguese are welcome. Interdisciplinary projects are also encouraged.