The Latino presence in the United States continues to grow and significantly impact all aspects of our society: politics, culture, academia, for instance. Indeed, as a result of this visibility and strength, in academia there has been arguably a shift from erstwhile divisions between Chicano (typically Southwest identified) and Latino (typically East coast identified) studies as well as more generally between United States Latino and Latin American studies scholarship. Rather than isolate and divide, U.S. Latino and Latin American scholars and teachers think increasingly in terms of hemispheric studies of the Americas.
While several other top-tier universities have already taken the lead, here at Ohio State we are about to establish L.A.S.E.R: Latino & Latin American Studies Forum for Enrichment and Research. Whether the approach and method is that of the historian, the economist, the demographer, geographer, anthropologist, film and literature scholar, to name but a few, this hemispheric research program seeks to understand Latin@s and all that we make and spin out of ourselves (north and south of the U.S./Mexico border) as an integrated whole; to understand the rich and complex geography of U.S. Latino culture and history, for instance, is to study also that of Latin America.
Ohio State’s commitment to building Latin@ and Latin American studies across the curriculum is apparent. Indeed, the research profiles of most Latino and Latin American studies specialists in departments of Spanish and Portuguese, History, English, Education, Geography, and the like, follows in this vein. We have been building rapidly the Latino Studies Program with its undergraduate minor and the new Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization (GIS). And, working together with Abril Trigo, director of the Center for Latin American Studies, we have been making visible bridges between Latino and Latin American studies through round-table and invited speaker events as well as sponsored film series (recent Brazilian and Mexican cinema, for instance), among other activities.
With the launch of L.A.S.E.R (Latino & Latin American Studies Space for Enrichment and Research) we will further solidify such bridge building. L.A.S.E.R will provide space for undergraduates, graduates, faculty and visiting scholars from around the world and working within a variety of research programs who can learn more from one another’s research concerning Latino and Latin American history, culture, economics, literature, geography, and other areas. It will also function as a forum to educate students about the opportunities for Latino and Latin American research. Not only will we have an area for undergraduates and graduates to write and research, and a work area for a Visiting Distinguished Latino/Latin American studies scholar, but a central area to hold brown-bag lunch events, present awards (Best Undergraduate Latino/Latin American Research, for instance), round-table and workshop events.
With a planned grand opening of the space in Fall 2008, L.A.S.E.R will foster the intellectual development of undergraduates, graduates, and faculty at Ohio State and that will enhance our reputation and recognition for our Latino and Latin American studies research programs worldwide.
