Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs 

Program on Latin America and the Caribbean

present

ATalk by Melissa Castillo Planas, Assistant Professor of English, Lehman College

A Mexican State of Mind explores the cultural and creative lives of the largely young undocumented Mexican population in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001. Inspired by a dialogue between Paul Gilroy and Gloria Anzaldúa, it develops a new analytic framework, the Atlantic Borderlands, which bridges Mexican diasporic experiences in New York City and the black diaspora, not as a comparison but in recognition that colonialism, interracial and interethnic contact through trade, migration, and slavery are connected via capitalist economies and technological developments. This book is based on ten years of fieldwork in New York City with members of  a vibrant community of young Mexican migrants. It focuses on youth culture including hip hop, graffiti, muralism, labor activism, arts entrepreneurship and collective making. 

Sponsored by Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, and Program on Latin America and the Caribbean 

Contact Havva Karakas-Keles for more information: hkarakas@syr.edu