Viewing entries tagged
Latin American and Iberian Studies Program
UC Davis professor Kathleen Cruz was hosted by UCSB Classice for a lecture on modern Latine writers who draw on classical mythology, particularly the story of Ariadne, to explore themes of ethnic identity, feminism, and social exclusion. In her lecture, Cruz highlighted works by Chicana poet Analicia Sotelo and Puerto Rican poet Etnairis Rivera, showing how these poets use Ariadne’s myth to reflect on experiences of “othering,” reclaiming identity, and the challenges of diasporic life.
Cinema sound editor Javier Umpierrez joined UCSB Film and Media Studies professor Greg Siegel for a post-screening discussion on the 2021 fantasy mystery film Memoria, which was the inaugural feature of “Panic!,” a fall series presented by UCSB’s Carsey-Wolf Center. Umpierrez spoke about his role in Memoria’s sound design and the film’s portrayal of bodies and locations recording history.
UC Santa Barbara undergraduate student Bryan Perez attended Las Maestras Center’s ‘Literary Skulls’ event, where the history of Dia De Los Muertos and its traditions were discussed through poetry and verse. In this personal reflection, they explore how the event allowed them to feel more in touch with their own identity.
Jaime Alves, Black Studies professor at UCSB, said that scholars should frame Blackness as a resistance to Latin American colonial narratives that have falsely asserted Blacks were fully integrated into society. This talk was part of the 21st Hispanic and Lusophone Conference, hosted annually by UCSB’s Spanish and Portuguese department.
Known for his literary works about immigrants and Chicano Studies, author and professor, Rubén Martínez, has been awarded UC Santa Barbara’s 17th annual Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature.
In a recent event hosted by the Latin American and Iberian Studies program, Brazilian politician and environmentalist Marina Silva discussed the social and environmental struggles facing the Amazon rainforest and their consequences to indigenous populations, and the world’s climate. She explained her opinion on the root cause of the problem, as well as how humans should move forward toward sustainability.
Cecilia Méndez, director of the Latin American and Iberian Studies (LAIS) program at UC Santa Barbara, along with Spanish and Portuguese Professor Juan Pablo Lupi organized the second UCSB Latin American and Iberian Studies graduate student conference on the topic of Borders, Power, and Transgression last month. In an interview, Méndez said understanding the connections between power and transgression of borders is a global concern.
Iridian Pineda, a fourth-year Latin American and Iberian Studies major at UC Santa Barbara works with the Community Based Literacies (CBL) group to present Latin American history to Latinx children. Pineda combines her major in Latin American Studies with a minor in Education.
American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste: The Origins of our Discontents has received global praise and became a New York Times best-seller last year. But it has been met with harsh criticism from some in academia. As part of its “Tertulia” series, the Latin American and Iberian Studies (LAIS) department hosted a live Zoom event in which UC Santa Barbara faculty had the opportunity to give their own critique of Wilkerson’s work.
UC Santa Barbara’s Latin American & Iberian Studies program hosted “Social Movements, Identity, and Resistance in Contemporary Nicaragua.” A Tertulia – an informal discussion on politics and culture – that discussed how some Nicaraguans are using their grief to fuel their passion for social justice.
Brazil-based author, researcher, and professor Marcos Cueto examined how contradictory and inadequate government responses to epidemics in Latin America have been an historical trend that reappeared during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
A new chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists has been started at UCSB. President and vice president, Fabiola Esqueda and Noey Padilla, sat down to discuss what this organization means to them and the Latinx community on campus.
Violence, memory and history. That was the theme of the first ever Latin American and Iberian Studies graduate student conference, held this spring at UC Santa Barbara.
The conference gathered 24 graduate students from universities both in the United States and Europe. Each graduate student presented the topics they discussed in their thesis statements.
