AU Community Invited to Latinx Studies Events
To celebrate the growth of Latinx Studies at AU and mark the university鈥檚 position as a leading institution in the field, the Latina/o/x Studies Program is hosting a two-day symposium beginning Thursday, September 29. The events will feature a talk by nationally recognized Latina scholar Dr. Laura Pulido and a roundtable discussion on new currents in the field of Latinx Studies. 听
Pulido is a qualitative social scientist who works at the intersection of geography and critical ethnic studies, especially Chicanx Studies. She writes that her interest in these fields began as a young child fascinated by maps, landscapes, nature, and places. 鈥淎t the same time, everyday life taught me that we live in a racial, class and gender hierarchy that shapes our lives. Through my research and teaching I explore how these processes shape places and how places inform racial and economic processes.鈥澨
Pulido, who is visiting AU from the University of Oregon and focuses much of her work on how racial inequity is produced and denied, will speak about 鈥淢onumental Denial: White Innocence in US Cultural Memory.鈥 The event takes place September 29, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Battelle-Tompkins Atrium. Students, faculty, staff, and the entire AU community听are invited; the event is free, and no reservations are required. 听
"Traditionally, Latinx Studies has focused on New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and rural areas of the Southwest, often neglecting the important Latinx communities in Washington, DC, and surrounding areas. We are proud to be a part of establishing a scholarly and educational tradition that considers the DMV as a major locus of Latinx Studies," says David J. V谩zquez, associate professor of Literature and CRGC, and AU鈥檚 program director of Latinx Studies. V谩zquez came to AU in 2020 from the University of Oregon to establish the new program. 听
鈥淲e are also thrilled that the Latinx Studies Program is a part of the growing Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Department (CRGC), and that the Latinx Studies minor is available to our students,鈥 V谩zquez says.听鈥淚t is exciting for AU to host a distinguished group of scholars from across the DMV and the nation, including our own practitioners in the field. We hope that our faculty, students, and staff come out and enjoy this celebration!鈥澨
The Future of Latinx Studies Roundtable听
On Friday, September 30, from noon to 2 p.m. in the Battelle Atrium, V谩zquez will moderate the roundtable discussion about the future of the emerging field of Latinx Studies. Participants are Pulido, Ricardo Ortiz (professor of US Latinx Literatures and Cultures at Georgetown University, and director of Georgetown's Master's Program in Engaged and Public Humanities), Perla Guerrero (associate professor of 麻豆果冻传媒 Studies and director of the US Latina/o Studies Program at the University of Maryland), Kirstie Dorr (AU associate professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies), and Salvador Vidal-Ortiz (AU associate professor of sociology). 听
鈥淭he roundtable will be a conversation among leading experts in the field about the history of the field and its potential future trajectories,鈥 says V谩zquez. 鈥淚t places Latinx Studies faculty from AU into conversation with practitioners from the DMV and beyond. There will also be food, fellowship, conversation, and lots of fun. We invite everyone from our AU community to come out and enjoy this event!鈥澨
CRGC: Diverse Voices, Histories, and Experiences听
Both events are sponsored by AU鈥檚 Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Cultural Studies. 鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome nationally recognized scholars to campus in this celebration of our new Latina/o/x Studies program,鈥 says Eileen Findlay, professor and department chair. 鈥淲e expect it to be just the first of many exciting intellectual exchanges in the field hosted by the CRGC.鈥澨