ANTH314

CROSSING BORDERS: GROWING UP LATINX (ANTH 314): "Borders," wrote Primo
Levi "are where wars start." But borders are also sites of cultural exchange, where bridges across
cultural differences may be built. Children of Latinx immigrants who have crossed national
borders face cultural borders that they are forced to traverse on daily. This course explores the
social and cultural forces shaping how Latinx youth define themselves within an increasingly
multi-cultural society. What's it like to grow up Latinx in the United States at a time when Latinx
are the nation's largest and fastest growing minority? What are the consequences of speaking two
languages and living between two cultures? How have US concepts of race influenced the
formation of Latinx identities? What does it mean to be Latinx, anyway? Drawing on
anthropological, sociological, historical, and political research, as well as the work of Latinx
novelists, poets, and artists, these questions will be addressed in a seminar setting with active
student participation.