Sumários
Claude McKay, “Subway Wind” and Li-Young Lee, “Persimmons"
25 Março 2019, 08:00 • Margarida Vale de Gato
Two poems on immigration and the feeling of estrangement from origins it produces, as well as two poets' reflection on the occasional exhilaration of reconnecting with one’s origins in a broader world. We focused here on Claude McKay, “Subway Wind” andLi-Young Lee, “Persimmons.” We also discussed Tillie Olsen, “I Want You Women Up North to Know,” and how it articulates the “here” of comfort and consumption and the“there” of work and exploitation.
Beginning of Part II: Whose America: Belonging and Exclusion. Pop Culture and Latino Representation.
20 Março 2019, 08:00 • Margarida Vale de Gato
Today’s class focused on popular culture and the place of Spanish in a US culture industry that tends to marginalize it. We began with contemporary essay on Latino pop music in the U.S., “A Conversation about ‘Despacito,’ Justin Bieber, and the Exploitation of Latinos in the Music Industry.” The essay treats the issue of Anglo appropriation of Latino musical styles in mainstream pop music, and the marginalization of Spanish in the U.S. music industry. Students also heard excerpts from a lecture by Ned Sublette, on the forgotten influence of Cuban music on U.S. rock and R&B. Then, we watched an episode of the sitcom I Love Lucy, “Ricky Loses His Accent,” which shows Ricky Ricardo triumphing over Lucy’s attempt to “smooth” out his accent and anglicize him.
Benito Cereno by Herman Melville (cont.)
18 Março 2019, 08:00 • Margarida Vale de Gato
Class discussion of Benito Cereno, focusing on the novella’s depiction of Amasa Delano as a “yankee,” and how he forms this identity against Benito Cereno the “Spaniard,” and Babo the slave.
Slavery, abolition, and American expansionism (guest lecture by Alexandra Glavanakova)
13 Março 2019, 08:00 • Margarida Vale de Gato
Students were asked to read the entirety of Benito Cereno before class. Class consisted of a guest lecture from Dr. Alexandra Glavanakova, University of Sofia, on the history of slavery in the United States and the political conflict over slavery, abolition, andAmerican expansion that was the immediate context of Melville’s novel. She also discussed Melville’s ambivalent relation to abolitionism.
"Nuestra América" by José Martí
11 Março 2019, 08:00 • Margarida Vale de Gato
We discussed the central questions raised by José Martí’s “Nuestra América.” How does one define “America”—what is included and excluded in the dominant definitions of the term? Marti is a true internationalist—how do we define this? Can one achieve the ideals of international harmony and unity when the world is, in fact, so uneven and unequal?