This article charts the similarities between the first short story appearance in 1839 of what later became Cirilo Villaverde's well-known nineteenth-century novel, "Cecilia Valdés" (1882), and Anselmo Suárez y Romero's "Carlota Valdés" (1838). The study considers the circle of influence in Cuba for writers during this time…

In her 2010 novel "Sangra por la herida," the Cuban novelist, poet, and essayist Mirta Yáñez constructs a panoramic view of metropolitan Havana, following the model of Latin American fiction starting in the 1980s based on a revised version of the detective novel. "Sangra por la herida" functions best as a narrative that…

This article examines Octavio Paz's canonical study of Mexican identity, "El laberinto de la soledad", against the backdrop of the current political environment in the United States; it interrogates how we can make Paz's rich, ambitious text meaningful for today's undergraduates. How can we teach "El laberinto de la soledad" in…

In times of crisis when literature and world languages are threatened by economic hardship, they should draw closer to African diaspora studies. The African diaspora is so vast, longstanding, and diverse that it must be studied using a comparative, multilingual, interdisciplinary, and international approach that includes study in French,…

We argue for an interdisciplinary pedagogical approach that we call the Integration of Research and Education in the Classroom, which highlights and crosses disciplinary boundaries to challenge each field's assumptions, limitations, conceptual and interpretive purview. We use a set of examples that center on problematizing various aspects of the…

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is always keen on presenting to the people the various facets of their history. His literary language acts as effective means for describing the critical historical aspects of Latin America because the legacy of colonialism had destroyed so many important traces of the native culture of that area. This has led him to search…

Historians have noted that male bureaucrats and natural resource experts tended to dominate early twentieth-century national and hemispheric conservationist movements in Latin America, but a constellation of female activists, notable among them Gabriela Mistral, strengthened conservationism in the cultural sphere. Capitalizing on her leadership in…

This essay explores the career of the understudied writer Pedro Castera (1846-1906), who is regarded as one of the first practitioners of science fiction in Mexico. A man of many talents, Castera is one of the most eccentric and eclectic figures in the intellectual life of fin-de-siècle Mexico City. His career took many turns: While during…

This biographical/bibliographic guide provides profiles of three Afro-Brazilian writers: Jorge de Lima (1893-1953); Luiz Gonzaga Pinto da Gama (1830-1882); and Abdias do Nascimento (1914- ). The life of each author is briefly described and sources of English language translations together with critical studies of their works are listed. Four…

Approximately 46 reference materials on the Caribbean located in the McClennan Library, McGill University (Montreal), are cited in this annotated bibliography. Although most materials deal exclusively with the Caribbean, a few titles cover Latin America in general. The relevance of these materials to the Caribbean has been emphasized. Materials…

Discusses how there is need for more published information about the experiences of Latinos in community colleges. Discusses the term "la tercera frontera" which describes cultural barriers that hold Latinos back. Recommends that more research be done to end marginalization of Latinos. (Contains 26 references.) (MZ)

This publication is a collection of the presentations made at the 1977 National Seminar of the Latin American Studies Association. Each article or presentation can stand alone; together they provide a sweeping view of the complexities of Latin America and suggestions for more effective secondary and college teaching about the area. There are three…

This guide identifies individuals born between the years 1700 and 1910 who were or are engaged in activities concerned with Latin America. The work is arranged alphabetically by broad disciplines. Information given for each individual includes professional affiliation, birthdate, date of death (if deceased), and, usually, two publications by the…

"Biblionoticias" is a series of brief bibliographies, usually less than 5 pages each, on Latin American topics. The bibliographies describe materials in English, Spanish, and Portuguese held by the Benson Latin American Collection of the University of Texas at Austin. Selected topics are periodically updated. The titles of numbers 35-67…

This anthology/textbook is part of a Mexican series of instructional materials designed for Spanish speaking adults who are in the process of becoming literate or have recently become literate in their native language. This document presents a collection of works from important writers directed to the population of Baja California, especially to…