FALL 2013 Instructor: Juan Flores

MAP-UA 0529 Cultures and Contexts: Contemporary Latino Cultures

COURSE DESCRIPTION In this course we will study today's Latino cultural expressions and identities in historical perspective. The goal will be to deepen our understanding of Latino experience and its importance in addressing today’s political and social issues. We will begin with an initial characterization of Latino social and cultural realities in the recent and present-day context, and proceed to an overview of Latin American history going back to the time of the Spanish conquest. We will then trace the development of Latino culture and politics in the during the 20th century, with special attention to the dramatic Chicano and Puerto Rican social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. After focusing primarily on Mexicans and Puertos Ricans, we will then consider the experience of , Dominicans, The latter part of the course will address Latino cultural theories and practices in the contemporary period. Of critical concern will be the idea and representation of a pan-ethnic "Latino" identity encompassing all of the diverse national groups. We will study instances of this new situation in music, literature, performance and media representation.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Weeks 1 & 2 Introduction: The Contemporary Context (9/3-5, 9/10-12) HE (= Juan González, Harvest of Empire), “Introduction” Mike Davis, Magical Urbanism, 1-24 Samuel Huntington, "The Hispanic Challenge" (film, 9/12): "Harvest of Empire”

Week 3 Crossroads Nueva York (late 19th century) (9/17-19) Bernardo Vega, Memoirs (selections) Eugenio María de Hostos, "Letter to Betances and "Memories of Betances" José Martí , "Our America" and " Under Snow" "Pachín" Marín, "New York From Within" , "A Negro Digs Up His Past" and "José Campeche"

Week 4 Revolution at the Borderlands (9/24-26) HE, ch 5 Américo Paredes, With His Pistol in His Hand: A Border Ballad and Its Hero Américo Paredes, "The Pocho Appears" (A Texas-Mexican Cancionero) Leonor Villegas de Magnon, The Rebel (selection) Carey McWilliams, "The Wearers of the Red," from North from Mexico Ricardo Flores Magón, "The Repercussions of a Lynching" and "The Uprisings in Texas" 2

Film: “The Battle of Gregorio Cortéz”

Week 6 La Causa: The Chicano/a Political and Cultural Movement (10/1-3) HE, ch. 10 (history of Latino politics) Octavio Paz, "The Pachuco and Other Extremes," from Labyrinth of Solitude Carey McWilliams, "The Pattern of Violence," North from Mexico, 227-243 Luis Valdez, "Zoot Suit" (selection) César Chavez, "An Organizer's Tale" "The Plan of Delano" Reies López Tijerina, "From Prison..." Corky González, "I Am Joaquín" "El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán" David Sánchez, "Brown Beret National Policies" Richard Rodriguez, "Children of Mexico," from Days of Obligation

Week 7 and Young Lords (10/8-10) HE, ch. 4, 14 Piri Thomas, Down These Mean Streets (selections) , "Puerto Rican Obituary" Young Lords Party, "13-Point Program" Pablo Guzman, "The Party" Iris Morales, "I became the one that translated...." (film) "El Pueblo Se Levanta"

10/17 MIDTERM REVIEW AND EXAM (10/17) (No classes 10/15)

Week 8 Cubans: Revolution, exile and new community (10/22-24) HE, ch. 6 Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban

Week 9 Dominicans: Dictatorship and diaspora (10/29-31) HE, ch 7 Junot Díaz, The Brief Wondrous World of Oscar Wao

Week 10 Central Americans, Colombians and other new diasporas (11/5-7) HE, ch 8, 9

Week 11 Salsa Power: Latin(o) Music? (11/12-14) Deborah Pacini Hernández, “The Name Game: Locating Latinas/os, Latin, and Latin Americans in the US Popular Music Landscape” Ed Morales, The Latin Beat, 55-95, 275-302 John Storm Roberts, "A Different Shade of Black" Juan Flores, “Boogaloo and Latin Soul” René López, “Drumming in the New York Puerto Rican Community”

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(film: “Our Latin Thing”)

Week 12 Cultura: Identity and Representation (11/19-21) HE, ch 12 Suzanne Oboler, from Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives Gustavo Pérez-Firmat, from Life on the Hyphen Juan Flores, "The Latino Imaginary," in From Bomba to Hip-Hop Gloria Anzaldúa, from Borderlands/La Frontera Mariposa,”Ode to the Diasporican” Guest: Mariposa

(11/26-28) Thanksgiving Week (no classes)

Week 13 Latinos and Race: Afro-Latinidad and Indigeneity (12/3-5) John Logan, “How Race Counts for Hispanics” Miriam Jiménez Román and Juan Flores, “’Triple Consciousness’?: Approaches to Afro-Latino History and Culture” Willie Perdomo, “Nigger-Reecan Blues” Guest: Willie Perdomo

Week 14 Latina/o Cultures in the Hip Hop Zone (12/10-12) Juan Flores, "Puerto Rocks: Rap, Roots and Amnesia" Raquel Rivera, New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone (selections) Pancho MacFarland, “Chicano Rap Roots” Jon Caramanica, “The Conquest of America (North and South)” Wayne Marshall, “From Daddy Yankee to Tego Calderón, and Beyond” (film:”Wild Style”) Guest (12/10): Raquel Rivera

COURSE REQUIREMENTS Students will be expected to attend all class sessions, do all assigned readings, and participate in class discussion during recitation sessions. They will be required to submit ten (10) response papers during the semester, and take a midterm and final exam. Grades will be based on: attendance and class participation (20%); response papers (40%); midterm and final exam (40%). Attendance and class participation: It is each student's responsibility to report in with your preceptor at the beginning or end of each lecture, and to be present at all recitation sessions. You are expected to take part in class discussion based on the weekly readings. Response papers: Ten response papers will be due over the course of the semester, five before and five after the midterm (October 17). Response papers will two pages, single-spaced in Times-Roman 12. They are to be based on the week's readings and films, and should be submitted in person to your preceptor on the first day of that week, that is, at the beginning of each lecture class. Those dates are marked in bold

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on the syllabus. (Note that you will write and submit your papers on the readings before they are discussed in class.) Response papers must be submitted in hard copy; do not email your papers. No late papers will be accepted. Response papers will be read carefully and graded but may not generally be returned; summary progress grades for response papers will be provided at various points in the semester. In these weekly papers students should address all of the readings and films (where pertinent) for that week, relate them to each other and to the theme for that week, and seek to provide a critical view of the issues raised. These are the criteria that will determine the quality of your paper. Do not merely summarize the assignments. A strong response paper should engage the argument and importance of each reading, talk about the readings and films in relation to one another and to the themes of the class, and when possible take a critical perspective on the issues and texts involved. Exams: Details on the midterm and final exams will be provided during the course of the semester.

READINGS The main textbook for the class will be Juan González, Harvest of Empire. Please be sure to purchase the 2011 edition; there are copies in the NYU Bookstore. You are encouraged (though not required) to purchase the two novels, for weeks 8 and 9, which are also in the bookstore: Cristina García, Dreaming in Cuban and Junot Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. All other readings are available on NYU Classes. Please read each week’s readings in the order listed on the syllabus.

The following books are also available for purchase at the bookstore. (They are for your interest and not required to purchase) Mike Davis, Magical Urbanism Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera Américo Paredes, With His Pistol in His Hand Juan Flores, From Bomba to Hip-Hop Bernardo Vega, Memoirs of Bernardo Vega Piri Thomas, Down These Mean Streets Harold Augenbraum and Margarite Fernández Olmos, eds., The Latino Reader José Martí, Selected Writings José Luis González, : The Four-Storeyed Country

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