Section A19: Hispanics in the United States
Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez at the Grammy Awards. Sammy Sosa in another home run race. Presidential candidates giving campaign speeches in Spanish. The Taco Bell Chihuahua. Hispanic influence can be seen and felt everywhere in the United States. The numbers are extraordinary--according to the United States Census Bureau, there are currently 40 million Hispanics in the United States Moreover, this group already has an estimated spending power of more than $383 billion. Hispanics are emerging as the single most important cultural and socioeconomic force since the Baby Boomers revolutionized society in post-war America. This class will explore issues of language, identity, history, civil rights, politics and the way those issues are expressed through music, literature and film. Some of the questions we will debate in this class are:
Is Spanish any longer a foreign language in America? How do the Spanish language and Spanish cultures figure into contemporary American life? Shakira (Colombia), Jennifer López (Puerto Rico) and Antonio Banderas (Spain) are just a few examples of Hispanics who have recently gained visibility in American culture. But Hispanics are not a homogeneous population; some have been in America for multiple generations even before the United Stats was a nation, while many others have just arrived, creating dynamic communities that find their identity mostly in language. Is the term "Hispanic" valid to refer to this population, despite its pronounced cultural, class and racial differences? Is language the repository of culture, religion, race and society? How are language and identity related? If Spanish-speaking populations settled in America before the Mayflower, why is it that many still consider Hispanics to be newcomers? What accounts for the rise of Hispanic influence in American culture during the 1990s? In a country that can no longer define itself as culturally homogenous, what are the consequences of moving towards an "English only" definition of the nation? Is that even possible? What is the role of Spanish in the cultural transformation of the U.S.A. towards a pluralistic national imaginary?
Please note: The class will be conducted in English; any previous knowledge of Spanish language and culture will be useful but not necessary.