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The Poetics and Politics of Latinx Literature: Then and Now

In this presentation Mendoza will discuss the challenges of compiling the recently published Oxford Encyclopedia of Latina and Latino Literature. He will provide context for the conditions that enabled such an expansive project to be realized and he explains why such a project would not have been possible or even conceivable 40 years ago.  He argues that the emergence of Latina/o literature was and continues to be fueled by a crisis of representation—and that the coming together of multiple literary genealogies that is Latinx literature has been shaped by several historical contingencies, including political contestation, revolution, demographic change, the emergence of the Civil Rights Movements and educational reform in higher education. In each of these instances, Latina/o literatures of the U.S. have sought to create new paradigms of cultural affirmation and political resistance, and in doing so have helped reshape our framework for American literary history and identity. Given the contemporary debates on migration, citizenship and belonging that have enhanced public hostility towards immigrants and Latinos in the U.S., particular attention will be given to a new wave of migrant literature and its contributions to public discourse on national identity.

Ticket Information
Free

Event Sponsor
English Department, Mānoa Campus