User:Mdiazrodriguez/Decolonization in Latinx Literature

Decolonization is defined as "a process by which legally dependent territories obtain their constitutional independence and entered the world stage of international relations as sovereign states". It is a term that refers to a period in history, but it has evolved to become a theme in many studies revolving around Latinx literature, studies and arts.

Latinx literature, as a field of study, is "a transnational, pluralistic, heterogeneous, and dynamic category that broadly considers the writings of diverse peoples with cultural ties to Latin America residing in the United States" . The decolonization of Latinx studies and literature has become more popular due to the "controversies regarding Latino history and identity in American public schools." Decolonizing efforts are characterized with having an alternate approach to history from a modern perspective that accounts for dominant narratives from the current society.

Decolonization of Latinx Studies

Decolonizing Latinx archives involves undertaking a “decolonial reading of colonial test with Latinx literary history”.  Scholars, such as Yolanda Martinez San Miguel, theorize that in order to decolonialize the colonial dimensions that appear in United States Latinx archives, colonial tests must be read with a decolonial perspective.  This would consequently open up Latinx studies to its blind spots that are embedded in its teachings. These blind spots, which results from colonization, include lack of collaboration, erasure of some countries and the invisibility of some cultures, such as, indigenous or Asian peoples.  Decolonizing how Latinx archives are read, also brings in the different engagement with Americanness and the incorporation of experiences of displacement. Decolonization as a theme is thought to have the power to diversify the Latinx archives that play a role in Latinx studies and diversify the definition of latinidad by dismantling blind spots.

Decolonization as a theme in Latinx Arts

Decolonization has been incorporate into films, books, music and many other forms of art by Latinx artists in order to dismantle the influence that historical colonial efforts has on said art-types. This is popularly seen in the characters and plots that work to critique or comment on society or simply offer stories that break out of the colonial norm known in the field.

Books and Writers

These books are written by Latinx writers that challenge the norms of society and therefore give a decolonized perspective in their stories.

• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
• Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
• At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón
• Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
• In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
• The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez
• Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
• Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
• Ambassador by William Alexander
• Nomad by William Alexander
• Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria E. Anzaldúa
• Lunar Braceros: 2125-2148 by Beatrice Pita and Rosaura Sánchez
• Latin@ Rising An Anthology of Latin@Science Fiction and Fantasy by Frederick Aldama
• The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

Film

Many films have offered a decolonial perspective on Latin American science fiction media.  These films usually involve showcasing utopian and dystopian tales and incorporate Latin American identities and ideas. Cinema Tropical and the Museum of the Moving Image offered some examples of these films in their film program for “Uchronias and Dystopian Futures: Latin American Science Fiction Cinema of the 21st Century.”

The films included were:

• César Caro’s Third World (Tercer mundo)
• Daniel Molero’s Videofilia (y otros síndromes virales)
• The Project of the Century (La obra del siglo) by Carlos Machado
• Adirley Queirós’s White Out, Black In (Braco sai, preto fica)
• Oscar Campo’s I’m Another (Yo soy otro)
• Marcos Machado Loria’s UFOs in Zacapa (Ovnis en Zacapa)
• Amat Escalante’s The Untamed (La region salvaje)