UF Center for Latin American Studies
Days: Tuesdays
Times: 5:10pm- 8:10pm
Location: Anderson 0134
Writing Latinx Histories in relation to other people’s histories is a powerful historiographical intervention. It speaks to Dr. Martin Luther King’s understanding of race as an “inter-related structure of reality,” and/or a complex historical mapping of bodies and spaces in relation to each other. Therefore, my course is centered on a theoretical doctrine that sees race, gender, sexuality, and citizenship as socially constructed in relational ways, that is, in correspondence to other groups. As a course, we will look beyond historical racial binaries – white/black, white/Latinx--and shift to studying marginalized groups in relation to one another—Black/Latinx, Latinx/Asian American, or Latinx/Native American/Black to name a few. As Gaye Theresa Johnson states, “Studying race as a relational formation is more than powerful—it is necessary.” Together we will take a theoretical trip through a collection of essays and books that offer crucial theoretical and methodological tools for understanding racial dynamics of the past, present, and future. Lastly, the class will advance the importance of a zooming-out process when studying communities, the need to be attentive to how, when, and to what extent groups interact, or as Chicana Historian Natalia Molina ask, “who else is (or was) present in or near the communities we study [and write about]?” To answer this question, we will read across various Latina/o/x histories that document and pay attention to everyday actions and movements, as well as to localized histories and knowledges within a specific place.
The seminar engages recent work in history, Latinx and ethnic studies, gender and sexuality studies, cultural studies, and the humanistic social sciences. Together we will uncover primary documents and rich narratives that explore historical forces, issues, and a wide range of topics, including:
Rafael Ramírez Solórzano
Assistant Professor
Center for Latin American Studies
360 Grinter Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-5530
r.solorzano@ufl.edu
352-392‐4672
