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The Cambridge Companion to Latina/o American Literature provides a thorough yet accessible overview of a literary phenomenon that has been rapidly globalizing over the past two decades. It takes an innovative approach that underscores the importance of understanding Latina/o literature not merely as an ethnic phenomenon in the United States, but more broadly as a crucial element of a trans-American literary imagination. Leading scholars in the field present critical analyses of key texts, authors, themes, and contexts, from the early nineteenth century to the present. They engage with the dynamics of migration, linguistic and cultural translation, and the uneven distribution of resources across the Americas that characterize Latina/o literature. This Companion will be an invaluable resource, introducing undergraduate and graduate students to the complexities of the field.
List of contents
Introduction John Morán González; Part I. Early Trans-American Contacts and Conflicts: 1. The trans-American literature of conquest and exile, 1836-85 Rodrigo Lazo; 2. The trans-American literature of conquest and revolution, 1881-1938 Laura Lomas; 3. Between ethnic Americans and racial subjects: Latina/o literature, 1936-59 John Morán González; Part II. Latina/o Literature since 1960: 4. The aesthetics of politics: cultural nationalist movements and Latina/o literature Richard T. Rodríguez; 5. The Cold War in the Americas and Latina/o literature Ricardo L. Ortíz; 6. The 1980s: Latina/o literature during the 'decade of the Hispanic' Tiffany Ana López; 7. Trans-American Latina/o literature of the 1990s: resisting neoliberalism Lucía M. Suárez; 8. From 'Latinidad' to 'Latinid@d': imagining the twenty-first century Paul Allatson; Part III. Critical Methodologies and Themes: 9. Latin@ poetics: voices Norma Elia Cantú; 10. Latino/a life writing: autobiography, memoir, testimonio Isabel Dúran; 11. Queering Latina/o literature Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes; 12. Latinos and the like: reading mixture and deracination Claudia Milian; 13. Mestizaje and cyborgism on either side of the line Thea Pitman; 14. Historias transfronterizas: contemporary Latina/o literature of migration Marta Caminero-Santangelo.
About the author
John Morán González is Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas, Austin, where he is also a Faculty Affiliate of the Department of Mexican American and Latino Studies and the Department of American Studies. His publications include The Troubled Union: Expansionist Imperatives in Post-Reconstruction American Novels and Border Renaissance: The Texas Centennial and the Emergence of Mexican American Literature.
Summary
This Companion provides a thorough yet accessible overview of key texts, authors, themes, and contexts of Latina/o literature, which is becoming an increasingly significant part of world literature. Leading scholars engage with the dynamics of migration, linguistic and cultural translation, and the uneven distribution of resources across the Americas.
