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Background and Research Interests | Recent Publications & Presentations |
Courses | Additional Information and Other Links|
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My research interests focus on "race" relations, ethnic identity, gender and class. I am trained as an African Americanist and Caribbeanist. My research also includes the comparative study of Latina/o diasporas. I seek to further understand the cultural and social construction of "race" and ethnicity in historical and contemporary settings. I am particularly concerned with the ways by which "race " and ethnic identity are mapped on to the body and the "nation" via discourses about color, class, gender and sexuality in the Americas.
My current research focuses on black identity formation in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. I am also working on the articulation of US models of "race" and ethnicity and Latin American and Caribbean models among Puerto Ricans.
1998 N. E. Whitten, Jr. & A. Torres (eds.) Blackness in Latin America and the Caribbean. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, Volume I.
1998 A. Torres and N. E. Whitten Jr. (eds.) Blackness in Latin America and the Caribbean. Volume II. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, Volume II.
1998 A. Torres "La gran familia puertorriqueña: 'ej prieta de beldá: the Great Puerto Rican family is really really black." In Blackness in Latin America and the Caribbean Volume II Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
1998 A. Torres "From Jíbara to Anthropologist: Puerto Rican Ethnography and the Politics of Representation" Identities (in press).
1997 A. Torres "Puerto Ricans." In Levinson, David and Melvin Ember (eds.) Encyclopedia of American Immigrant Cultures. (Macmillan Library Reference) New York: Macmillan Publishing. Pp. 715-723.
Presentations
American Anthropological Association Invited Session "Colonialism, Postcolonialism, and the Racialization of Puerto Ricans." (Discussant) Washington, D.C. November 1997.
The Institute for Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, University of Connecticut Fall Colloquia "The Use and Abuse of Power: Puerto Rican Ethnography in the Late Twentieth Century." Storrs, CT. October 1997.
The 49th Congress of Latin Americanists "Reconstituting Blackness and the Nation in Puerto Rico." Invited session "Representation of Blackness in the Context of Festivity" Quito, Ecuador, July 1997.
Nominee for President-Elect 1998
I have been a member of ALLA since its inception. Our presence in the
AAA
is increasingly felt given the scholarly activism of the membership. We
have co-organized and supported a number of critical sessions and panels
that illuminate how we can make a difference in the academy and in the
larger society. For example, we have collaborated with our colleagues in
the ABA and SANA. I expect that we will continue to engage in these collaborative
efforts in the future so that together we can challenge the discipline
to further advance theories, methodologies and practices in the field.
As President of the Association I will work to enhance the linkages between
Mexican-American and Chicana/o specialists, specialists on Latino migrants
from the Caribbean and specialists who focus on the experiences of Latinos
from Central America and other parts of mainland Latin America. These groups
converge and diverge in particular historical moments. As scholars we are
seeking to broaden our knowledge base and to educate others about the changing
face of Latina/o communities throughout the U.S.
Finally, I will also work to encourage our colleagues to further develop
our alliances with students and Latino communities throughout the U.S.
as we make the transition into the twenty-first century.
· Association of
Black Anthropologists (member since 1989)
· Association of Afro/Latin American Research Association
Member, Serve on the Editorial Board of the Journal Publication of
the Afro/Latin American Research Association
Description:
1998 marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. occupation of Puerto Rico. It also marks the 50th anniversary of Julian H. Steward's field project The People of Puerto Rico, published as a volume in 1956 by the University of Illinois Press. In the spirit of this and of their scholarly engagements with the discipline and their political and social commitment with the people of Puerto Rico, located in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Juan, San Antón, El Barrio, and elsewhere, Puerto Rican women scholars will formalize an ongoing dialogue about the contributions Puerto Ricans have made and are making to the discipline of anthropology and to Puerto Rican Studies.
Puerto Ricans have migrated extensively to the U.S. to the point that there are almost as many Puerto Ricans in the U.S. as there are in Puerto Rico. This large diasporic population, U.S. citizens since 1917, has created very important political, economic, and cultural issues for social scientists interested in migration, settlement, but also interested in rapid economic change in Latin America and the Caribbean. The project of The People of Puerto Rico was an attempt to study a whole national culture, by studying different subcultures in Puerto Rico. However, there is a large research gap since the publication of this critical work. The proposed conference participants hope to address this void.
A particular emphasis will be placed on the participation of women in the development of a new generation of anthropologists. By doing so, we hope to further contribute to an understanding of their contributions to the social sciences and to the rich texture of Puerto Rican society and culture.
A Web Link will available shortly with the itinerary and registration
materials.
For further information contact a-torres@uiuc.edu.
anthro@uiuc.edu
Last modified: May 24, 2001