Latino Crossings

This course examines the economic, political, cultural, and social linkages between the United States and Latin America and the migrations that have emerged from this historical relationship. The focus will be primarily on the respective experiences of “Latinos” within the United States from a comparative historical and transnational perspective. Latinos (or “Hispanics”) are not one people defined by a shared “culture,” nor do they have a singular historical relationship with the US nation-state, nor do all Latino groups have a common experience in the United States. Through readings and discussions of primary and secondary texts, this course examines the various histories of Mexicans/Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and other Latin American groups and the transformations of the United States in relation to them, with a special interest in exploring the meaningful analogies among these migrations and examining the intersections of race and citizenship.