The Latin American Intellectual Field

Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo and Mariela M. Páez. Latinos: Remaking America. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1997.

By spending a month in Pachuca, Mexico, with the Lott Institute, I hope to learn more about the Mexican culture and people. By being afforded such an opportunity, I will be better equipped to do political work, as US relations with Mexico have become a more serious issue recently. My desire in working in politics is to bring common-sense solutions to communities to make life better for all Americans, including recent immigrants. As such, I have taken particular interest in Mexican culture, which is growing locally and across the country. Following this interest, I studied Spanish in college, and wish to become fluent in it; by studying in Mexico where I can be immersed in the Spanish language, I should be able to become more familiar with it. Through studying in Mexico, I will be able to receive a broader and more accurate perspective on issues that those of Mexican heritage, and therefore the community that I wish to

Time and history has shown us over and over again the power of words. Great leaders of the world obtain that magnetic pull with words that enable them to reach masses of people throughout the world. It’s all determined by how the speaker or the writer tries to convey his or her message and what they hope to achieve with their words. The Cuban writer, José Martí evidently establishes his political views through his written piece, “Our America”. Martí’s written work is manifested by his political choice of words and distinct approaches that speak to both his fellow Cubans and the higher nations of Spain and the United Sates throughout his essay. Martí saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate the effects of imperialism of other nations in Latin

Juan Gonzalez uses Chapter 12: “Speak Spanish, You’re in America!: El Huracán over Language and Culture” of his novel Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America to introduce a truly polarizing argument that has plagued the Latino community in the United States of America. Gonzalez is quick to point out that English is the common language in this country, though he is quicker to note that it should not necessarily be so. This author is so incredibly biased in this chapter that it is nearly impossible to disagree with his opinion without feeling like one is completely shutting out the entire Latino community. However, speaking as a member of this community, perhaps it is this unique insight that allows for not only a contending opinion, but also the framework to make the opinion relevant. Gonzalez makes brash claims with little supporting evidence and relies heavily on argumenta ad passiones to manipulate the reader’s emotions instead of focusing on rationalism and sound judgment. Quite possibly, it was the abundance of this logical fallacy that made it difficult to sympathize with his argument; though, it lays the basis for this chapter analysis.

The film Gringos at the Gate is a documentary about the interesting and dynamic relationship between the United States and Mexico. It uses the sport of soccer, futbol, to highlight the patriotism each country has for their respective country. The director also highlights the issue of identity for Mexican Americans. Many are conflicted with the idea of not knowing who they are supposed to (or in some cases allowed to) support. In this class we spoke about how through history Latin America has struggled with identity. As seen in Jake Silverstein’s article, “Grand Opening Ronald McDonald conquers New Spain”, and Gringos at the Gate, the interaction between two countries in Latin America can lead conflict in deciding one’s

Methods: This investigation will describe Che Guevara’s involvement in Latin American independence movements, focusing specifically on his involvement with Fidel Castro’s “26th of July” movement. His actions and words will be analyzed, and his conduct this period of political upheaval will be used as evidence in order to answer the investigative question.

The performances by Zachary, Ariana, and Denice are not just critical to the superstructures of society but are oppositional readings to the preferred labels put on the Latinx community. “Althusser argued that social relations create ideology as much as economic relations” (Brummet, 171). Louis Althusser, is

When focusing in on communication within Hispanic culture, there are many things that easily go undetected. While explaining differences in communication with Hispanic families, Geri-Ann Galanti (2008) emphasizes the importance of familismo, which many people have

Different promotional tools would be used to communicate to each target audience. A media campaign focused on both Spanish and English language TV, radio and newspaper would target parents and adults. This would also include news features on networks such as Univision. These features would also target political and community leaders. Children and teenagers would be targeted through media popular with their own group. A large focus here would

First, I will give a brief history of the Dirty War, as I feel it is necessary to understand the landscape at this time and what influenced this collective conscious, followed by a discussion and outline of Dussel’s direct experience and observations surrounding Latin America during this incredibly tumultuous period of time. The essay concludes with a summary of how these principles were utilized in Argentina during and after the Dirty War and how education and open dialogue has influenced the character and the direction of those communities effected, today.

Culture shock: what white America feels after reading this book. Juan Gonzalez’s Harvest of Empire encases what most Latinos want to say, but always gets muted for. The empowerment behind the title is such an intricacy yet soft to the touch. This book will make any reader reconsider about everything they’ve learned from any culture. This book covers most atrocities committed to Latin America by Spain and the US. The factor of white hegemony, hunger for power and possessions, discrimination, conquest, and the terrorization by Americans in Latin America makes this book difficult to read as a Latina. The limelight of this book is in Puerto Rico, Cuba and Mexico because how relatively close these three countries are in relation to the US. Gonzalez’s main argument of this book is to demonstrate to America how Latino presence is becoming a commonality and it will be normalized. Furthermore, it talks about the second wave of immigration and how pivotal it has become. Finally, he discusses

What comes across your mind when you think of Latin America? Latin America consists of many different cultures, people with ethnic backgrounds; Mexico, Central America, South America. Latin America has the diversity in its people, and succession has brought along what makes Latin America what it is in modern times. In the article “Latin America: Myth and Reality,” the author mentions that “stereotypes spring from ignorance and bias,” which I think is significantly appropriate to bring up in this conversation (“Latin America” 3). Latin America is united by their differences, and I think most of the stereotypes are disappearing, while people are becoming more educated. But to comprehend what lies behind the mask, we all must disregard labels, and instead appreciate Latin America for who they all are. To mention a few, let’s dive into the article to understand some common stereotypes that someone might have.

When it comes to higher academic education, Latin America has been noted to grow significantly in the past years, making a strong appearance internationally with high profile in both private and public universities. However, according to Silva (2015) the number of institutions that promote the discussion between science-religion are scarce. The reason for this is that there is hardly any funding for programs that encourage this kind of questioning for the crossroads of science and humanities (Silva, 2015). It was also found that the percentage of university students who graduate from programs such as natural sciences are only less than 5%; leading to a scarce amount of research done in Latin America (Silva,

I decided to write this research paper because we were assigned to find an issue or subject within Latin America to write about. One of the most widely known and influential revolutionary figure in the history of Latin America is Ché Guevara. Ché knew how to use his intelligence and judgment in all the circumstances he encountered taking advantage of each moment as if it was a highly intensive chess game he was sincerely

“Open Veins of Latin America” by Eduardo Galeano primarily focuses on historical events following the “discovery” and colonization of Latin America. This book however, unlike many others has very distinct and contrasting ideas. In his historical piece, Galeano incorporates many peculiar ideas that have since caused controversy following the publishing of the book in the year 1973. As we examine the cover, the subtitle (“Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent”) gives us an antecedent of our authors viewpoint on the subject and what’s to come later in the book. Without a doubt, one of the major themes and the books main purpose is to clarify the events that took place in Latin America involving the pillage of land and natural resources by foreigners. In his “Seven Years Later” segment of the book, Galeano claims that he wanted to uncover lies and things that have been hidden in the history books. Galeano also wants to uncover the social, economic, and political disparity that Latin American indigenous people were/are facing compared to and as a direct result of foreigners who were/are benefitting and prospering from Latin American land and people.