Mail Code CSI
Roosbelinda Cardenas
Franklin Patterson Hall 206
413.559.5598
On leave of absence 2023-2024.
Roosbelinda Cárdenas holds a B.A. in economics and anthropology/sociology from Swarthmore College, an M.A. in Latin American studies from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Her teaching and research focus on identity and rights for Afro-descendants in Latin America and the social theory of race and racism, social movements, place and displacement, and human rights. She takes an engaged ethnographic approach to teaching and is particularly interested in the intersections of knowledge production and activism.
This course is designed to introduce students to the shared histories as well as the cultural and This This course will introduce students to the shared histories and cultural and geographic diversity of the region we call Latin America. By surveying different disciplinary approaches (anthropology, political science, history, cultural studies and journalism) as well as by exploring film, music, literature and policy produced within the region, students will be exposed to numerous ways to think about Latin America and will observe how Latin American artists, writers and intellectuals represent their nations and cultures to themselves and to the world. We will first overview the transformations that Latin American societies have undergone since European colonization to become the complex nations they are today. Then, we will analyze some of the most pressing contemporary issues that Latin American nations face today. Specifically, we will demystify poverty and crime, historicize racism and gender inequalities, and critically analyze the role of the United States in shaping Latin American economies and politics. Keywords: Latin America, race, nation, empire, culture
This interdisciplinary course critically engages a range of frameworks (geopolitical, historical, literary) for a study of the complex and contested reality of Cuba. We will critique and decenter the stereotypical images of Cuba that circulate in US popular and official culture, and we will examine the constructions of race, gender, and sexuality that have defined the Cuban nation. We will also explore how Cuba should be understood in relation to the U.S., to its diaspora in Miami, and elsewhere. This course is open to all, though it is best suited to students beyond their first semester of study. The class will be conducted in English, with many readings available in Spanish and English. Papers may be submitted in either language. This interdisciplinary course critically engages a range of frameworks (geopolitical, historical, literary) for a study of the complex and contested reality of Cuba. We will critique and decenter the stereotypical images of Cuba that circulate in US popular and official culture, and we will examine the constructions of race, gender, and sexuality that have defined the Cuban nation. We will also explore how Cuba should be understood in relation to the U.S., to its diaspora in Miami, and elsewhere. This course is open to all, though it is best suited to students beyond their first semester of study. The class will be conducted in English, with many readings available in Spanish and English. Papers may be submitted in either language. For students wishing to apply for the Hampshire in Havana January term program, this required course will offer critical foundational knowledge. For students wishing to apply for the Hampshire in Havana January term program, this required course will offer critical foundational knowledge.
