in Havana raperos

CLLAS graduate grantee Charlie Hankin, a music major, recorded violin tracks for while carrying out ethnographic research. Cllas Notes CLLAS Newsletter Vol. 6 Issue 1 cllas.uoregon.edu Winter 2015 From the Directors Zapotec Hip Hop Artist Mare Brings Historic Concert to Beall Hall LLAS got off to a great start hen CLLAS director Lynn Stephen met Zapotec hip hop artist Mare while doing Cthis academic year by host- Wresearch in Oaxaca last summer, she right away decided to bring the young star ing a concert in mid-October to UO. “Mare is dynamic and charismatic,” Stephen said. “She has a strong message with Zapotec hip hop artist to deliver about social justice, women’s and indigenous rights, and youth activism Mare Advertencia Lirika. Mare in Mexico. I knew the students and community here would love her.” gave an outstanding perfor- Mare played to a near-capacity crowd on October 16 in the first ever hip hop con- mance to an audience of about cert at UO’s Beall Hall. Known more formally as Mare Advertencia Lirika, she began 325 people. It was the first hip performing at age 16 as a way to raise consciousness in others while channeling her hop event ever in Beall Hall, own frustration over gender inequality and the treatment of women in Mexico. In a and staff and faculty from UO documentary about her life titled , Mare talks about School of Music and Dance were When a Woman Steps Forward depictions of women in Mexican media, which always shows light-skinned women, delightful to work with. Hip hop not darker-skinned indigenous women. proved to be a recurring theme of the fall season, as graduate In 2012, National Public Radio named Mare’s work “Best Alternative Music of grantee Charlie Hankin gave the Year.” She toured America and worked with Chicana and Latina immigration a presentation the following groups in 2013. During her tour this fall, Mare performed at a hip hop festival at week about his CLLAS-funded Oregon State University, and then traveled to venues in Los Angeles, San Francisco, research on hip hop artists Mare at Beall Hall / photo by and Chicago. The free event was sponsored by CLLAS and cosponsored by UO’s in Cuba (see p. 6). CLLAS is Stephanie Wood. Center for the Study of Women in Society and the School of Music and Dance. ■ strongly committed to support- ing research and events in the arts as well as in the humanities Students Benefit from Innovative Partnership on Cultural Competency and social sciences. by Eli Meyer, Assistant Director, CLLAS organizations, and Latino businesses. The program consisted of two linked prerequisite courses and an Ana-Maurine Lara, a recent tarr Miller is one of six UO graduate students who inter-cultural internship. ICP was funded by a two-year Ph.D. from Yale, kicked off underwent special diversity training through the S Graduate Innovations grant from the UO Graduate School. her time with us by deliver- Intercultural Competency Program (ICP), an innovative ing a standing-room only talk partnership between CLLAS; the Department of Planning, In addition to Miller, five other graduate students titled “Santa! Afro-Diasporic Public Policy, and Management; and the Center for completed the ICP program. Congratulations to: Ways of Being and Knowing,” Equity Promotion. When asked what she learned from sponsored with the Department • Lokyee Au, Environmental Studies, who interned her ICP experience, Miller—a graduate student in the with Beyond Toxics, Eugene. of Anthropology. As our first Department of International Studies who interned with scholar-in-residence, Dr. Lara the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health in Nicaragua, said that • Patricia Toledo, Nonprofit Management, who will speak to classes, conduct a not only had she increased her Spanish language skills interned with Huerto De La Familia, Eugene. workshop for graduate students, by an incredible degree, she improved her field research and give two other public talks • Lindsay Pepper, International Studies, who interned skills and learned about navigating professionally within with EduCARE India, India. in coming months. We are excit- a different culture. ed to have her with us. Read • Allison Brinkhorst, Nonprofit Management, who more about her on p. 6. “I was able to witness power differentials as they interned with Social Justice Fund NW, Eugene. played out among the poor rural citizens in the area and Faculty research funded the doctors and nurses as well,” Miller said. “I really • Daniel Platt, English, who interned with Downtown by CLLAS this academic year learned so much by sitting back and observing.” Languages, Eugene. focuses on educational experi- Although the ICP has ended, perhaps other campus ences of Latino students at UO, ICP, a two-year pilot program that began in fall 2012, units will replicate this model of hands-on learning and at the high school level, and combined bold curricular innovations focused on career intercultural education. After all, many job descriptions in dual language programs. building and professional development, mentoring, now require “experience working with people from diverse Upcoming graduates of Oregon’s training, and field research to produce graduates who backgrounds.” I would like to see UO offer students many public high schools are almost are well positioned to serve Latino populations in state and municipal governments, NGOs, community service opportunities to gain this important experience. ■ Directors’ Letter cont. on p. 2 CLLAS Notes directors’ Letter, continued from page 1 25 percent Latino, and CLLAS researchers are producing important insights into the challenges these students face as well as their contributions to all levels of learning. We will share results of these projects in upcoming CLLAS newsletters. Meanwhile, you can learn more about the plans in the box on p. 4. CLLAS also launched the Latino Civic Participation Project (LCPP) in an effort to empower Latinos in Oregon and encourage innovative methods of public participation. LCPP, a collaboration between UO students, CLLAS, and Oregon CLLAS Notes Winter 2015 communities, is a novel type of needs assessment and community empowerment Mailing address: strategy and literally a “hands on” participatory research tool that enables Latino Center for Latino/a & Latin American Studies community members to directly articulate their local knowledge about community 6201 University of Oregon issues and propose solutions. You can read more about LCPP on p. 7. Eugene OR 97403-6201 On March 12, 2015, CLLAS will host our first-ever CLLAS symposium, “Public Main office: Engagement in Latin@ and Latin American Studies at UO.” This event features 337 Hendricks Hall four research panels focused on cutting-edge research and community engagement (541) 346-5286 work carried out by each of CLLAS’s four Research Action Projects (RAPs) along e-mail: [email protected] with keynotes by two young dreamer activists and a musical performance and website: cllas.uoregon.edu reception. We already have interest from schools, community organizations, other universities, and organizations. We look forward to a great showcase event and to our mission making new friends and connections. CLLAS puts the study of Latino/a and Latin American communities in conversation with one another and with the state of Oregon. A This summer, faculty from one of the CLLAS RAPs will lead a global semi- knowledge center dedicated to public access and excellence through nar for UO undergraduates in Antigua, Guatemala, and conduct a workshop the integration of teaching, research, community engagement and for Guatemalan teachers and others focused on human rights. The project also dissemination, CLLAS is an integral part of the UO’s strategy to recruit, includes a one-day symposium to develop curriculum on preventing genocide and retain, and build alumnae relations with a diverse and energized group human rights. Middle- and high-school teachers from around the state will partici- of students, faculty, staff, parents, and families and to connect the pate in this one-day event, which will bring insights from UO faculty research to university locally, nationally, and globally. CLLAS facilitates collaborative our public schools. research, scholarship, intellectual community, and community outreach We wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and New Year. focused on Latin America and U.S. Latino/a populations. Lynn Stephen, Director, CLLAS; Distinguished Professor, Anthropology director Lynn Stephen, Anthropology Associate Director Gerardo Sandoval, Planning, Public Gerardo Sandoval, Associate Director, CLLAS; Assistant Professor, Planning, Policy, and Management Public Policy, and Management Assistant Director Eli Meyer Graduate research Assistant Lidiana Soto-Morales Research Action Project Updates accounting Peggy McConnell Advancing Latino Equity in Oregon Communications Alice Evans CLLAS associate director Gerardo Sandoval is applying for a foundation grant to Executive board continue his work in Latino/a civic engagement around Oregon. The grant will sup- Elaine Acacio, Office of Institutional Equity and Inclusion port the Latino Civic Participation Project (LCPP), a novel type of needs assessment Carlos Aguirre, History; Latin American Studies and community empowerment strategy, literally a “hands on” research tool that Monique Balbuena, Honors College and Latin American Studies enables Latino community members to directly articulate their local knowledge Erin Beck, Political Science about community issues and to propose solutions. LCPP researchers synthesize June Irene Black, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and present this local knowledge directly to local planning, policy, and community Christopher Chávez, Journalism and Communication organizations that can use this evidence of community needs when defining future Feather Crawford, History policy priorities, giving many Oregon Latinos a voice for the first time in defining Cecilia Enjuto Rangel, Romance Languages the policy priorities that are important to them. Gabriela Martínez, School of Journalism and Communication Ellen McWhirter, Counseling Psychology, College of Education Afro-Descendant and Indigenous Peoples in the Americas Lori O’Hollaren, Associate Director, Global Studies Institute In fall term 2014, the RAP provided members of the youth group reconoci.do from Guadalupe Quinn, Community member the Dominican Republic with three cameras, asking them to document their lives, as Alaí Reyes-Santos, Ethnic Studies well as situations that Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian migrants encoun- David Woken, UO Libraries, History and Latin American Studies ter in everyday life. This group faces an increasingly hostile environment because Librarian many Dominicans of Haitian descent have been recently stripped of their Dominican Kristin Yarris, International Studies; Women’s and Gender citizenship by the Dominican Constitutional Tribunal. This action is only one of Studies the most recent actions reflecting a long history of discrimination towards Haitian CLLAS Notes is published by the Center for Latino/a & Latin American migrants, and their children, many of whom are frequently seen in the Dominican Studies. While CLLAS is responsible for content, viewpoints expressed in Republic as blacker than the local population. Reconoci.do has been actively this publication are not necessarily those of the organization. addressing these matters over the past four years. The project will collaborate with the photographers and staff at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art to select 15 pho- The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action tographs for an exhibit at the museum to open March 3, 2015. On March 4, a member institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans of reconoci.do as well as Alvaro Botero, a lawyer at the Interamerican Commission with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible for Human Rights of the Organization of American States, will take part in a panel formats upon request. ©2015 University of Oregon RAP Updates, continued on page 3

2 Winter 2015 News & Update

Héctor Tobar’s “Notable” New Book public service demand and local community culture. By understand- The latest book by CLLAS-affiliated faculty member Héctor Tobar—a ing the powerful confluence of interests that support unauthorized visiting professor in UO’s School of Journalism and Communication immigrants in the United States, planners can implement policies that and a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist—has been named among the reduce their vulnerability.” New York Times “100 Notable Books of 2014.” Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle UO Faculty Award and OHC Fellowship Go to Lynn Stephen That Set Them Free (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, October 2014) is a non- CLLAS director Lynn Stephen received a UO Fund for Faculty fiction novel that describes the 2010 odyssey of Chilean mine workers. Excellence Award for AY 2014-15. Dr. Stephen, a Distinguished Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Anthropology, CLLAS Grantee Receives Fulbright was among 13 UO faculty members chosen for this award, which “is CLLAS graduate student grantee Charlie Hankin was one of two UO designed to further the university’s strategic commitment to improving graduate students to receive a prestigious Fulbright Award for 2014-15. its academic quality and reputation by recognizing, supporting, and A master’s student in music performance, he will travel to Brazil with retaining world-class tenure-related faculty.” Recipients are chosen a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. “on the basis of scholarly impact within their respective fields, their contributions to program and institutional quality at the UO, and their “My primary occupation will be serving as an English-language academic leadership.” assistant at a Brazilian university,” Hankins said. “But I will also be teaching classes in musicality and violin to elementary and high school Dr. Stephen was also awarded the Provost’s Senior Humanist students, collaborating with Brazilian musicians, as well as investigat- Fellowship by the Oregon Humanities Center for her research proj- ing Brazilian hip hop in relation to the Hispanic Caribbean.” ect “Writing Testimony and Expanding the Public Sphere: Elena Poniatowska in Mexico” (Fall 2015). Music education is gaining importance in Brazil following a 2008 law that integrated it into the public education curriculum, and Historian Julie M. Weise Interviewed for Story on NPR Hankin’s interdisciplinary assignment to teach both music and English CLLAS affiliated faculty member Julie M. Weise, an assistant professor is a reflection of that. The Fulbright program is sponsored by the U.S. in the UO Department of History, spoke about her research in a piece Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, that aired on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered on October through annual appropriations from the Congress. —from a story first 19. The story was about anti-immigrant backlash in suburbs. The story published by UO Graduate School news on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. is titled “Residents Uneasy About Immigrant Shift Into Suburbs” and can be accessed online under this title at the NPR site. CLLAS Associate Director Wins Award CLLAS associate director Gerardo Sandoval was named the 2014 win- Elder-in Residence: Ramón Ramirez ner of the prestigious Chester Rapkin Award for best article from the Selected as UO’s 2014-15 “Elder-in-Residence” by UO’s Office of Equity Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. The selection commit- and Inclusion, Ramón Ramirez was on campus in mid-November to tee announced October 16 that Dr. Sandoval, an assistant professor, share his wisdom and knowledge by giving guest lectures and presenta- UO Department of Planning, Public Policy, and Management, won the tions and talking to students, faculty, and other members of the univer- prize for the best paper for this award year in the Journal of Planning sity community. He also sat down for lunch one day with the CLLAS Education and Research for his article “Shadow Transnationalism: executive board and staff to talk about common goals. Cross-Border Networks and Planning Challenges of Transnational Unauthorized Immigrant Communities” (Vol 33:1, 176-193). As president of two major human rights organizations in Oregon— CAUSA, which advocates for immigrant’s rights, and Pineros y “Professor Sandoval’s paper identifies the deeply intertwined net- Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), which advocates for farm- works of immigrants, employers and state actors that support unauthor- worker’s rights— Ramirez spoke to the CLLAS board about his experi- ized immigration, while forcing migrants into the shadows of society ences as a community leader and discussed ways to mobilize volun- where they are especially vulnerable,” the selection committee noted teers to do outreach in support of President Obama’s recent executive when making the announcement. “The paper shines a spotlight on an order on immigration reform. Ramirez also discussed with board important public policy issue that is of particular relevance for plan- members the possibilities of developing a radio program as a collabora- ners. Despite being in the shadows, unauthorized migrants are present tion between UO and PCUN, which is the largest Latino organization in towns and cities across America, shaping housing and labor markets, in the state. ■

RAP updates, continued from page 2 Latino History The Latino Roots project continues through its popular traveling dis- discussion and reception to present the photos and videos taken by play and two-term course. This fall the display has visited CAPACES reconoci.do youth. RAP members were awarded an academic support Leadership Institute in Woodburn and El Camino Elementary School grant from the JSMA to help fund the project. in Eugene. The next stop for the display will be Latino community Human Rights and Social Memory in Latin America groups in Medford, Oregon. Also, the Latino Roots course has been institutionalized within UO and will be offered this winter and spring This RAP continues its Savage Endowment–funded activities in terms. Students have the opportunity to learn the history of under- human rights and genocide prevention, centered on the police archives represented communities in the Pacific Northwest. For the course’s of Guatemala. CLLAS will facilitate one roundtable session in the win- capstone project students will produce 10-minute documentaries ter and spring where faculty from different departments and geograph- covering interviews with an individual or family, highlighting this ical focus areas generate curriculum material for high school teachers. history. These documentaries will be showcased during the Latino These materials will focus on awareness of human rights issues and Roots celebration on June 4, 2015. Finally, this RAP is exploring col- the prevention of mass atrocities. Also, this RAP will host a one-day laborations with other units on campus that are interested in replicat- workshop for high school teachers in June. The purpose of this work- ing the Latino Roots model. ■ shop is to familiarize teachers with these curriculum materials and envision their use in the classroom. Finally, the human rights RAP will —reported by Eli Meyer, CLLAS Assistant Director facilitate a one-day human rights workshop in Guatemala this summer.

cllas.uoregon.edu 3 CLLAS Notes

Globalization, Gender & Development Conference wenty-five scholars from over ten different disciplines addressed modern issues of gender 2014-15 Faculty/Collaborative Research Tand development at the first ever Globalization, Gender and Development Conference Projects Supported by CLLAS on the UO campus October 23–24, 2014. Participants explored globalization’s effects for the Each year CLLAS provides grants for faculty, stu- study and pursuit of development and gender equity. Coorganized by CLLAS Executive Board dents, and community organizations to conduct member Erin Beck, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, the confer- research. Guidelines can be found at: http://cllas. ence benefitted from the support of CLLAS and many other UO departments and centers. uoregon.edu/grant-opportunities/ Since the field of women and development (WID) emerged Assessing the experiences of Latino/a students in the 1970s, feminist scholars, practitioners, and activists at UO—Analisa Taylor (Romance Languages); dramatically changed the face of international development— Audrey Lucero (Education Studies); Claudia influencing not only the ways development was studied, but Holguin (Romance Languages); and Angel also the way it was defined. They pushed scholars and prac- Dorantes (Education Studies). This project seeks titioners to move beyond a fixation of macroeconomic growth to carry out a detailed assessment of how Latin@ to include such goals as empowerment, equity, and environ- students at UO perceive and negotiate the aca- mental and economic justice. Later scholars transitioned to demic and sociocultural barriers they face. Our gender and development (GAD), highlighting the importance anecdotal evidence suggests that Latin@ students of gender as a set of social relations imbued with power in all often learn upon enrollment or advancing to upper Kristin Yarris, assistant professor, spheres, including development institutions themselves. division courses within their majors that they do not UO Department of International The insights and debates inspired by the fields of women possess some of the insider knowledge needed Studies, presented her paper, and development and gender and development have since to take advantage of academic and professional “Between Love and Money: been applied to subjects outside the traditional domains of opportunities. They also report challenges relating Grandmothers, Remittances, and to unspoken class, ethnic, linguistic and cultural the Moral Economies of Care World Bank development interventions and governmental in Nicaraguan Transnational projects, including grassroots alternative visions of develop- norms within the university. Study results will allow Families,” at the conference. ment, non-governmental organizations, sex workers’ experi- us to name the problem within a wider constituency ences and self-initiatives, and migration flows and experi- and advocate for an expansion of those resources ences, to name just a few. Scholars at the conference reflected on these advances, considered in the form of academic support as well as financial future directions, and reflected on the ways in which transnational flows of capital, people, aid and scholarship support for Latin@ students. and information affect gendered processes and visions of development. Assessing the experiences of Latino high Professors emerita Jane Jaquette (Occidental College) and Irene Tinker (University of school students in Oregon—Ellen McWhirter California, Berkeley) served as the opening keynote speakers. These scholars have long played (Counseling Psychology and Human Services). important roles in pushing forward the inclusion of women and gender in development’s This project is part of the CLLAS Research Action study and practice and are well-known as “founders” of the field, having pursued gender Project (RAP) “Advancing Latino Equity in Oregon,” equity through both scholarship and activism. They opened the conference by reflecting on which plans a comprehensive report. Dr. McWhirter insights gleaned from the past four decades of research and practice and outlining their take will combine and analyze data from eight years of on the challenges and opportunities for the future. collaboration with the Cesar E. Chavez Leadership Conference into a report that provides contextual Scholars from UO and outside institutions came together to present and comment on descriptive and correlational data on samples of original, cutting-edge research across four themes: Globalization, Economic Opportunities, 500-1,000 Latino high school students from over and New Takes on the Global Assembly Line; Gender and Environmental Justice and 90 schools in Oregon. Report contents will include Sustainability in a Globalized World; New Technologies and Media; and Gender, Migration, information about Oregon Latino graduation and and Care Work, Paid and Unpaid. CLLAS director Lynn Stephen and executive board member college enrollment rates, educational achieve- Kristin Yarris took the lead on organizing the final panel, which advanced the discussion by ment and attainment, and descriptive information complicating the distinction between the “global north” and the “global south.” yielded by data sets regarding Latino students’ The conference was well-attended by faculty, students, and community members and pro- post-secondary plans, outcome expectations, the vided fodder for challenging and stimulating conversations about the future of the field and barriers they experience as they complete their high the possibilities for academics and practitioners working together. Of the 16 papers presented, school education, microaggressions they experi- some discussed development issues of wage labor, microfinance, and public policy related ence, school related self-efficacy expectations, and to agricultural development and social service delivery. Others focused on women’s bodies indicators of their critical consciousness. as related to globalization and development—examining the role of service sector workers, Study of dual language education programs— beauty pageant contestants, sex workers, and images of trafficked “victims” in the promotion Edward Olivos (Education Studies) and Audrey of globalization, nationhood, finance capital, and humanitarianism. Papers that focused on Lucero (Education Studies). The researchers technology demonstrated that new forms of technology are being cast as “solutions” to devel- will conduct a yearlong multisite comparative case opment’s challenges with unintended, gendered consequences. Finally, a number of papers study of elementary dual language education pro- examined the feminization of migration and the gendered implications for family dynamics, grams around the state of Oregon. Such programs care work, and livelihoods. are designed to ensure that Spanish-speaking The closing keynote by Prof. Kimberly Hoang (Boston College) addressed the intersection Latino children receive equitable, high quality learn- of gender, sex work, and finance capital in Vietnam. Her talk about the social construction ing experiences in both English and Spanish. A key of masculinity focused on elites, and reflected exciting new directions being explored in the goal of this research study, therefore, is to examine field of gender and development, which traditionally focused predominantly on poor women. how schools in various areas of the state implement and sustain dual language education programs in Participants agreed that the conference moved the field of gender and development ways that address these needs. The research is forward and put the University of Oregon on the map as a place where innovative research also intended to highlight opportunities and chal- related to gender and development is taking place. For more information on the conference lenges associated with providing such an education and to see pictures, visit: http://blogs.uoregon.edu/globalizationgenderdevelopment/ ■ through dual language education. ■ —reported by Erin Beck, Assistant Professor, UO Department of Political Science

4 Winter 2015 Faculty Publications

Recent Books in Latino/a and Latin American Studies The Truly Diverse Faculty: New Dialogues of being imprisoned inside a mountain of stone, the horror of being in American Higher Education, coedited by slowly consumed by hunger, and the spiritual and mystical elements Stephanie Fryberg and Ernesto Javier Martínez that surrounded working in such a dangerous place. In its stirring final (Palgrave MacMillan, October 2014). Future of chapters, it captures the profound way in which the lives of everyone Minority Series. “Many universities in the 21st involved in the disaster were forever changed.”—from the publisher. century claim ‘diversity’ as a core value, but Héctor Tobar is a visiting assistant professor in the UO School of fall short in transforming institutional prac- Journalism and Communication. tices. The disparity between what universities claim as a value and what they accomplish Glaciares, cambio climático y desastres natu- in reality creates a labyrinth of barriers, chal- rales: Ciencia y Sociedad en el Perú / Glaciers, lenges, and extra burdens that junior faculty Climate Change, and Natural Disasters: of color must negotiate, often at great personal Science and Society in Peru, by Mark Carey and professional risk. This volume addresses (Lima: Instituto de Estudios Peruanos; Instituto these obstacles, first by foregrounding essays Francés de Estudios Andinos, November written by junior faculty of color and second by pairing each essay 2014). “Covering 70 years of history in the with commentary by senior university administrators.”—from the Callejón de Huaylas and Cordillera Blanca, publisher. Ernesto Javier Martinez is an associate professor, UO this book analyzes not what might occur in Departments of Women’s and Gender Studies, and Ethnic Studies. the future but rather what has already hap- pened, how people perceived and responded After the Nation: Postnational Satire in the to glacier disasters such as the 1970 avalanche Works of Carlos Fuentes and Thomas Pynchon, that buried Yungay. It explores Peru’s amaz- by Pedro García-Caro (Northwestern University ing and highly successful engineering projects to contain deadly gla- Press, July 2014) “After the Nation proposes cial lakes—projects that continue today as lakes threaten to burst and a series of groundbreaking new approaches inundate cities. It also examines the problem of declining hydrologic to novels, essays, and short stories by Carlos resources from glaciers, which continue to affect energy generation, Fuentes and Thomas Pynchon within the farming, and coastal irrigation. Ultimately, this is a book about how framework of a hemispheric American studies. people adapt to climate change—or why they don’t. It provides con- García-Caro offers a pioneering comparativist crete examples of what worked and failed in climate change adapta- approach to the contemporary American and tion policies, thereby offering critical lessons for future climate change Mexican literary canons and their underlying adaptation and natural disaster prevention.”—from the publisher. Mark nationalist encodement through the study of Carey is associate dean of the UO Robert D. Clark Honors College and a wide range of texts by Pynchon and Fuentes an associate professor of history. which question and historicize in different ways the processes of national definition and myth-making deployed Our Caribbean Kin: Race and Nation in the in the drawing of literary borders. After the Nation looks at these liter- Neoliberal Antilles, by Alaí Reyes-Santos ary narratives as postnational satires that aim to unravel and denounce (Rutgers University Press, November 2014) the combined hegemonic processes of modernity and nationalism “Beset by the forces of European colonialism, while they start to contemplate the ensuing postnational constella- US imperialism, and neoliberalism, the people tions.”—from the publisher. Pedro García-Caro is an associate profes- of the Antilles have had good reasons to band sor of Spanish in the UO Department of Romance Languages. together politically and economically, yet not all Dominicans, Haitians, and Puerto Ricans Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men have heeded the calls for collective action. Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle That So what has determined whether Antillean Set Them Free, by Héctor Tobar (Farrar, Straus solidarity movements fail or succeed? In this and Giroux, October 2014) “When the San José comprehensive new study, Alaí Reyes-Santos mine collapsed outside of Copiapó, Chile, in argues that the crucial factor has been the August 2010, it trapped 33 miners beneath extent to which Dominicans, Haitians, and Puerto Ricans imagine thousands of feet of rock for a record-breaking each other as kin. Our Caribbean Kin considers three key moments 69 days. The entire world watched what trans- in the region’s history: the nineteenth century, when the antillanismo pired above-ground during the grueling and movement sought to throw off the yoke of colonial occupation; the protracted rescue, but the saga of the miners’ 1930s, at the height of the region’s struggles with US imperialism; and experiences below the Earth’s surface—and the past thirty years, as neoliberal economic and social policies have the lives that led them there—has never been encroached upon the islands.”—from the publisher. Alaí Reyes-Santos heard until now. is an assistant professor, UO Department of Ethnic Studies, and a “For Deep Down Dark, the Pulitzer Prize– member of the CLLAS Executive Board. ■ winning journalist Héctor Tobar received exclusive access to the min- ers and their tales. These 33 men came to think of the mine, a cavern inflicting constant and thundering aural torment, as a kind of coffin, and Recent Journal Articles by CLLAS Affiliated Faculty as a church where they sought redemption through prayer. Even while For descriptions of recent journal articles written by still buried, they all agreed that if by some miracle any of them escaped CLLAS-affililiated faculty and graduate students and alive, they would share their story only collectively. Héctor Tobar was the person they chose to hear, and now to tell, that story. in keeping with the CLLAS mission statement, go to our website at: “The result is a masterwork of narrative journalism—a riveting, at times shocking, emotionally textured account of a singular human http://cllas.uoregon.edu/research/journal-articles-2/ event. Deep Down Dark brings to haunting, tactile life the experience

cllas.uoregon.edu 5 Research

cannot maintain the same discourse of social- Havana Hip Hop ly relevant lyrics with Cubans. by Charlie Hankin Despite what I’ve dubbed the “Cuban hip avana is often described as a time capsule: hop diaspora” and difficulties of being an H1950s cars, crumbling buildings, and a independent musician in Cuba—threats of relative absence of international monopolies. censorship, economic hardships, high cost For me, it's another type of time capsule. of recording, scarcity of internet, inability to Studying at the University of Havana in 2009 promote oneself, lack of media coverage for hip was by far the most significant and influential hop—artists there continue to grow and evolve. event of my life. Having the opportunity to Raperos and producers are beginning to experi- return there this past summer reinvigorated ment with a more “Cuban” sound, departing Charlie Hankin, center, with hip hop artists El Lápiz, left, from the North American beats they have tried my fascination with Cuban culture. I spent the and Bárbaro "El Urbano" Vargas, right, in Havana, Cuba. month of August carrying out an ethnographic to emulate during the past two decades. They study of hip hop in Havana. was also a wonderful way to address the oft- are also looking to make hip hop more acces- encountered problem of reciprocity in ethno- sible: to address more universal themes with My interviews took me from the periph- graphic fieldwork. more danceable musical backgrounds. eral neighborhood of La Lisa in southwest- ern Havana to the distant municipality of In addition to carrying out interviews and A competitive youth hip hop festival began Guanabacoa in East Havana. The artists with collaborations, I attended the tenth annual two years ago called “Creciendo en el hip whom I spoke see hip hop culture as com- International Hip Hop Symposium, an official hop” (Growing in hip hop). I predict that the munity activism, pacifism, and pedagogy. Rap event of the Cuban Rap Agency. In the 1990s talented and motivated young teenagers that is nonviolent protest music that allows artists and 2000s, Cuban hip hop served as a van- make up the newest “Nueva Escuela” (New to delve into themes that might otherwise be guard for Latin American hip hop culture and School) will learn from the suggestions and off limits. Most raperos in Havana told me hip gained international recognition. An interna- difficulties of their predecessors and recover a hop changed their life: “Hip hop, more than a tional festival was held annually in Alamar, space where hip hop can thrive in Cuba. But genre, is a way of life. […] Our lives changed East Havana that attracted even significant it will perhaps never again be truly “under- when we approached hip hop. For the spiritu- North American artists such as Dead Prez, ground,” as raperos and producers increas- ality, the vibes, the humanity and family that Black Star, The Roots, Common, and Mos ingly search for ways to make money as artists are breathed at a hip hop peña. It’s different Def. The group Orishas put Cuban hip hop and avoid being viewed solely as dissidents. from any other genre. You might enjoy some- on the world stage in 1999 with the album A We really can’t blame them. ■ thing musically, but you don’t feel the same lo cubano, mixing rap with Cuban son, but —Charlie Hankin completed his Masters of union. Hip hop makes you grow as a person.” Orishas left Cuba to tour in Europe in the late Music in Violin Performance at UO School of Equally striking: “This is our little piece of 1990s and remained there. Music and Dance in December 2014. He will modern identity.” On an island isolated from Hip hop in Havana is currently in a pre- spend 2015 on a Fulbright ETA Fellowship cosmopolitan culture by the US economic carious state, suffering from the absence of in Brazil, where he will teach English and embargo and internal restrictions, hip hop another significant group, the “underground” Music and investigate Brazilian hip hop culture, allows artists to interact with modernity. duo Aldeanos, who recently emigrated to while developing proficiency in Portuguese. I had the opportunity to experience the Miami. Aldeanos brought rap lyrics to a level He then plans to pursue a PhD in Romance community fostered by hip hop culture by of outspoken criticism against the government Studies, developing a comparative and attending “underground” concerts (peñas) and and attracted a wide audience. As a rapera I interdisciplinary study of trans-Caribbean collaborating with three of the most important interviewed explained, “They began to write non-Anglophone hip hop culture. For vid- producers in Havana, recording violin tracks lyrics that no one else was brave enough to eos & recordings from Charlie's research visit for raperos. A thrilling opportunity, recording say.” But living in the United States, Aldeanos http://charliehankin.wordpress.com/hip-hopcubano/

CLLAS Scholar-in- the Catholic state in the Dominican Republic. fluid, allowing participants to cross boundar- ies of sexuality and gender. Residence Is Also a In a lecture titled “¡Santa!: Afro-Diasporic Literary Artist Ways of Being and Knowing” held by the As Lara writes in a related publication, Ana-Maurine Lara is Department of Anthropology on November 21 “much of everyday life for many Dominicans CLLAS’s first ever scholar- in front of a packed classroom of students and is committed to the spiritual realm.... there in-residence. Born in the faculty, Lara talked about Catholic coloniality; is a worldview and permeated social context Dominican Republic, she the ethnography of the GLBT movement and in which the unseen and the seen worlds grew up in East Africa and traditional Afro-aboriginal ceremonial beliefs work together, where what is seen is imbued New York state and recent- and practices; and Afro-diasporic ways of with the unseen, and where the unseen ly completed her PhD in African American being and knowing, autonomy and sover- includes ancestors, spirits, demons, gods, and studies and anthropology at Yale University. eignty. She highlighted spiritual practices that the forces of nature. The seen indexes the Her published scholarship engages top- included elements of African religions that unseen world. Rituals, ceremonies, prayers ics on Afro-Latin@ and Afro-Diasporic queer came in with the slave trade, Catholicism that and dreams mediate these worlds, and are part identities and aesthetics. She did fieldwork came in with Columbus and European colo- and parcel of everyday life.” in the Dominican Republic from 2010-2013, nizers, and Native ritual practices. Lara is also an award-winning novelist and interviewing GLBT activists, feminist scholars In a video recorded during her fieldwork in poet. Her novel Erzulie’s Skirt (RedBone Press) and activists, and key public intellectuals. the Dominican Republic, she shared the space was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist in 2007. Her first academic book (in-progress) is titled of ceremony where the priests and priestesses It’s an interesting mix, the literary work of this Bodies and Souls: Sexual Terror in God’s New receive—the misterios, the luases, the santos. gifted writer held up against her scholarly World, and is based on her graduate research, They arrive to deliver messages and blessings. work. One informs the other, and expresses which focused on GLBT political activism and The ritual space in the ceremonies is very her own fluidity. ■

6 Winter 2015 Faculty Community Outreach Empowering Oregon Latinos: The Latino Civic Participation Project by Gerardo Sandoval, Associate Director, In contrast, the LCPP team literally uses on their ideas for improving conditions for CLLAS, and Assistant Professor, UO a hands-on approach to enable Latino com- Latinos. Department of Planning, Public Policy, munity members to directly articulate their Together with in-depth interviews and and Management, and Alex Macfarlan, UO local knowledge about community issues and background research, the LCPP team found Master of Public Administration Candidate propose solutions. In collaboration with UO three key issues facing the Medford Latino students and urban planner and artist James community: ometimes, the best strategy for engaging Rojas, founder of Place It and the Latino Urban Scommunity members in the complexi- Forum, LCPP researchers directly engage local • Medford lacks enough public infra- ties of planning and public policy decision- Latinos through “participation by play” ses- structure to provide activities for young making is through play. This is one of the sions at locations inside their communities. Latinos—including public parks in which primary ways Professor Gerardo Sandoval has “Participation by play” sessions use hundreds Latinos feel welcome, sporting facilities been reaching out to Latino communities in of recycled dioramas representing buildings, accessible by young Latinos (such as skate Oregon. Dr. Sandoval, the associate director of parks and other community landmarks to cre- parks and football fields), and enough CLLAS and an assistant professor in the UO ate a fun and engaging atmosphere in which social activities and venues for adolescent Department of Planning, Public Policy and participants can share stories and ideas about Latinos. • Local Latinos feel that there isn’t a central public place, such as a plaza, in which the Medford Latino community feels safe and welcome to celebrate Latino culture (such as through community gatherings or holiday celebrations). • Medford Latinos feel that they are not well represented in formal government positions and decision-making institutions. The LCPP team communicates project find- ings to planning and public policy decision makers to better represent the needs and con- tributions of local Latinos.

LCPP’s first step in Medford was sharing the findings with the City of Medford commis- sioners, mayor, and chief of police along with many other Medford civic leaders at a public event organized by the UO Sustainable City Year Program. Following this event, there has Using the “participation by play” model they helped develop, UO students speak with local residents about issues been increasing momentum toward a continu- facing the Latino community at the 2014 Greater Medford Multicultural Fair. ing collaboration between the City of Medford, LCPP researchers, and community members Management, has been working with UO grad- how to improve their neighborhood, town, aimed at better representing Latinos in defin- uate students to design and test an outreach or city. ing city planning and policy priorities. approach that meaningfully engages an often LCPP researchers set up a scale model of marginalized body of Oregonians—its diverse LCPP’s second step was attending the local area and ask participants to move the and rapidly expanding Latino communities. the Greater Medford Multicultural Fair in dioramas around the map and redesign their September 2014 to share the findings with Professor Sandoval and his graduate stu- own neighborhood. While traditional public the local Latino community. Dr. Sandoval dents developed the Latino Civic Participation participation methods can be overly formal, and UO students engaged about 100 attendees Project (LCPP) to open a new channel of “participation by play” is a fun and welcom- from across the Medford community, raising civic engagement and public participation ing situation that allows participants to relax community awareness about important issues tailored to the Latino community. Traditional and express their views in conversation with facing Medford Latinos. public participation strategies used by local the LCPP team. Participants identify important governments, such as town hall meetings or issues facing their community ranging from The LCPP team is also partnering with mail surveys, have largely failed to meaning- youth activities, to transportation, to support CLLAS’s Latino Roots Project, which exhibits fully engage Oregon Latinos. Why? Many for Latino businesses. “Participation by play” historical and ethnographic stories to promote Latinos see town hall meetings as unwelcom- sessions are run at “community hubs” or other awareness of the rich history of Latinos in ing and difficult to attend. Mail surveys are locations that are considered “safe” spaces for Oregon. Many Multicultural Fair attendees often solely in English and have low Latino Latinos, such as public schools. expressed how much they enjoyed reading response rates. There is also a lot of mistrust stories of Latinos’ cultural contribution to the LCPP’s spring 2014 outreach in Medford of traditional public engagement tools among area and wanted to bring the full Latino Roots was conducted outside La Placita and El Latinos. This limits the effectiveness of tra- exhibit to Medford. This partnership promises Gallo, two popular Latino businesses in the ditional strategies and results in much of the to enhance the LCPP and Latino Roots Project area. UO students and Dr. Sandoval engaged Latino population being left out of planning in the efforts to empower Oregon Latinos to 300 local Latinos in conversation about issues and public policy processes. get involved in public policy and planning facing the Medford Latino community and decisions. ■

cllas.uoregon.edu 7 Center for Latino/a and latin american studies 6201 University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403-6201 Cllas Notes CLLAS Notes is published by the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies. For more information, call (541) 346-5286, or visit: http://cllas.uoregon.edu

An equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request. © 2015 University of Oregon

CLLAS Event Calendar “ P u b l i c E n g a g e m e n t i n L a t i n @ Events take place on the UO campus. For more listings, go online: http://cllas.uoregon.edu and Latin American Studies at UO” Winter Quarter 2015 C LL a s S y m p o s i u m • CLLAS Graduate Student Grant Proposal Writing Workshop: 1/22, 12–1:30 p.m., 330 Hendricks Hall. March 12, 2015 • CLLAS Visiting Scholar Presentation: Ana-Maurine Lara Knight Library, Browsing Room (Anthropology), 2/12, 4–5:30 p.m., 140 Allen Hall. • Human Rights & Genocide Prevention Roundtable. 2/19, 3:30–5 p.m., Collaboration Center, Knight Library 122. Keynote address • CLLAS Grad Grantee Presentation: “Djeoromitxi (Brazil) “Dream Act” Activists Language and Culture,” Thiago Castro (Linguistics). 2/26, Lizbeth Mateo & Marco Saavedra 3:30–5 p.m., 330 Hendricks Hall. • Reception for Photo Exhibit. CLLAS’s Afro-Descendant and Reception & music Indigenous Peoples RAP presents a photo exhibit by the youth Puerto Rican Bomba with Proyecto Unión group reconoci.do from the Dominican Republic. 3/4, JSMA. • Lecture: Jafari Sinclaire Allen, 3/11. PANELS • CLLAS Symposium: “Public Engagement in Latin@ and Advancing Latino Equity in Oregon: Latin American Studies,” 3/12, Knight Library, Browsing Rm. Education and Civic Public Participation for Spring Quarter 2015 Empowerment • CLLAS Professional Development, Publishing Workshop: Human Rights and Social Memory in Gisela Fosado, Duke University Press, 4/2. 330 Hendricks Hall. Guatemala • CLLAS Faculty Grant Proposal Writing Workshop: led by Gerardo Sandoval. 4/3, 12–1:30 p.m., 330 Hendricks Hall. Latino History, Resources, and Public • CLLAS Grad Grantee Presentation: “Intimate Partner Violence Education in Oregon and Immigrant Women,” Kathryn Miller (Political Science) 4/16, Afro-Descendant and Indigenous Music and 3:30–5 p.m., Mills International Center (tentative). Culture • Junior-Senior Faculty Conversation on Publishing. 4/30, 3:30–5 p.m., 330 Hendricks Hall. Center for Latino/a and Latin • Latino Roots Celebration. 6/4, 4–6 p.m., Knight Library, American Studies Browsing Room. • Retreat for Middle & High School Teachers: Human Rights. For information: Eli Meyer, CLLAS Assistant 6/6, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Knight Library 144, Edmiston Classroom. Director, (541) 346-5714, [email protected] • Bartolomé de las Casas Lecture in Latin American Studies. http://cllas.uoregon.edu/symposium-2015/ photo © Lynn Stephen © Lynn photo

8 Winter 2015