Arbol cronologico geografico del descubrimiento de las Americas, 1864 BY JOSHUA G. ORTIZ BACO Among many, many other objects, the Arbol cronologico geografico del descubrimiento de las Americas reminds me of how the collections at the Benson can come to life for our students. The lithograph is … [Read more...] about Staff Pick: Arbol cronologico geografico del descubrimiento de las Americas
Arte/Letras
Staff Pick: Catalina de Erauso o sea la monja de alferes
Catalina de Erauso o sea La monja de alferes, XIX century, an unpublished version of the legendary life of Catalina de Erauso (1592–1650) BY BROOKE WOMACK SOMETIME IN 2018, I bought myself a copy of Butch Heroes by Ria Brodell. This book has plates of gouache paintings by the author depicting … [Read more...] about Staff Pick: Catalina de Erauso o sea la monja de alferes
Voices of Black Brazilian Feminism: Conversations with Rosana Paulino and Sueli Carneiro
EDITED & TRANSLATED by SUSANNA SHARPE THE 2020 LOZANO LONG CONFERENCE, “Black Women’s Intellectual Contributions to the Americas: Perspectives from the Global South,” held February 20–21, 2020, was a groundbreaking gathering of Black women scholars, activists, intellectuals, and artists from … [Read more...] about Voices of Black Brazilian Feminism: Conversations with Rosana Paulino and Sueli Carneiro
Staff Pick: The Astonishing Artistic Gem of Manuel de Quiroz y Campo Sagrado
La inocencia acrisolada de los pacientes jesuanos, 1816 BY SUSANNA SHARPE In my search for rarely seen treasures from the Benson Latin American Collection, I consulted former colleague José Montelongo, co-editor of A Library for the Americas, a beautifully illustrated volume of collected … [Read more...] about Staff Pick: The Astonishing Artistic Gem of Manuel de Quiroz y Campo Sagrado
Miguel Gutiérrez Jr., Photojournalist
Miguel Gutiérrez Jr. (MA 2015, Journalism and LLILAS) is a documentary photographer and videographer. He currently works as a photographer and photo editor at the Texas Tribune. Visit his professional website. On April 8, 2020, Miguel took photos of the deserted streets in Austin, Texas, during the … [Read more...] about Miguel Gutiérrez Jr., Photojournalist
Faculty Spotlight: Sandro Sessarego
BY SUSANNA SHARPE WE DON'T OFTEN STOP TO THINK about why we speak the way we speak, or how some of our linguistic habits came to be. But this is one of the things linguists like Sandro Sessarego pay great attention to. Sessarego (pronounced seh-SAH-re-go), associate professor in the Department of … [Read more...] about Faculty Spotlight: Sandro Sessarego
Cover Photographer: Adeloyá Magnoni
Adeloyá Magnoni is a photographer-activist who uses an anthropological lens to give voice and visibility to diverse sexualities, genders, Afro-religious traditions, social identities, and ethnicities. She is a practitioner of Candomblé—a daughter of Exu and Yansã—bisexual, antiracist, and an … [Read more...] about Cover Photographer: Adeloyá Magnoni
Cuba’s Revolutionary Comics: The Caridad Blanco Collection of Historietas Cubanas
BY ADRIAN JOHNSON COMIC BOOKS, originally created as entertainment for children, were long relegated to dime-store magazine racks, children’s bookshelves, and the cheap bin at used bookstores. While sales of comics today are struggling, in recent years they have come to occupy a more important … [Read more...] about Cuba’s Revolutionary Comics: The Caridad Blanco Collection of Historietas Cubanas
Interview: Gabriela Siracusano
ART HISTORIAN GABRIELA SIRACUSANO studies the material dimension of artistic production in artworks from the sixteenth century to the present. An internationally known and highly sought-after scholar, she is director of the Research Center for Art, Materiality, and Culture at the Instituto sobre … [Read more...] about Interview: Gabriela Siracusano
Louder Than Hell: The Rise of Latinx and Native American Metal
BY LUIS ZAPATA When the mode of the music changes, the walls of the city shake. —Allen Ginsberg, paraphrasing Plato ROCK ’N’ ROLL has been the soundtrack of youth rebellion for almost eight decades. It is one of the United States’ most powerful cultural exports to the world. It may seem cliché to … [Read more...] about Louder Than Hell: The Rise of Latinx and Native American Metal