This course explores the ways in which Latinas/os become legible as subjects in contemporary U.S. political thought and cultural life. We will consider struggles for Latina/o legal rights, the relationships between the Latina/o workforce and issues of global labor patterns, the workings of transnational economies and power, and popular cultural narratives depicting Latinas/os and U.S.-Latin America relations. This course offers the opportunity to explore, analyze, and decipher the ways in which Latinas/os inhabit a global world, built from a legacy of a colonial past and heading toward a neoliberal, globalized future. We will use an interdisciplinary approach, addressing a range of texts from various scholarly disciplines, including history, cultural studies, postcolonial theory, American studies, and political science, as well as popular cultural texts. |