Resisting Categories: Latin American And/or Latino?: Volume 1

Mari Carmen Ramirez, Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, Hector Olea, Melina Kervandjian

Yale University Press, 2012 - Art - 1160 pages

This first volume of the Critical Documents of 20th-Century Latin American and Latino Art series published by the International Center for the Arts of the Americas at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, presents 168 crucial texts written by influential artists, critics, curators, journalists, and intellectuals whose writings shed light on questions relating to what it means to be "Latin American" and/or "Latino."

Reinforced within a critical framework, the documents address converging issues, including: the construct of "Latin-ness" itself; the persistent longing for a continental identity; notions of Pan–Latin Americanism; the emergence of collections and exhibitions devoted specifically to "Latin American” or "Latino" art; and multicultural critiques of Latin American and Latino essentialism. The selected documents, many of which have never before been published in English, span from the late fifteenth century to the present day. They encompass key protagonists of this comprehensive history as well as unfamiliar figures, revealing previously unknown facets of the questions and issues at play. The book series complements the thousands of seminal documents now available through the ICAA Documents of 20th-Century Latin American and Latino Art digital archive, http://icaadocs.mfah.org. Together they establish a much-needed intellectual foundation for the exhibition, collection, and interpretation of art produced in Latin America and among Latino populations in the United States.

What people are saying

User Review -

Sorry but I didn't read the book... What about America? It's a whole continent and if you want to separate them between those who speak a Latin language you should include Canada in this discussion. They have two languages: English and French. I am Brazilian and as a Brazilia I don't agree when you refer to us as "Latin Americans" because this decision is policital and very cliche. When you hear about Latin America in general there are negative issues.So instead of Latin Americans, call us Americans because that's the name of our continent. 

Contents

• LATIN AMERICAN ANDOR LATINO?: 20
• FUNDERS OF THE ICAA DIGITAL ARCHIVE AND BOOK SERIES: 23
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: 24
• A DIGITAL ARCHIVE AND PUBLICATIONS PROJECT: 27
• PROJECT ADMINISTRATION STAFF AND CONSULTANTS: 33
• NOTES ON THE SELECTION PRESENTATION EDITING AND ANNOTATION OF TEXTS: 36
• RESISTING CATEGORIES: 40
• THE CONTINENTAL UTOPIA INTRODUCTION: 49
• A NEW ART INTRODUCTION: 337
• THE GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD AND BAD TIMES INTRODUCTION: 423
• LONGING AND BELONGING introduction by mari carmen ramírez: 586
• DESTABILIZING CATEGORIZATIONS INTRODUCTION: 789
• THE MULTICULTURAL SHIFT INTRODUCTION: 943
• Editors Biographies: 1134
• Researcher and Translator Credits: 1136
• Index: 1140
• Copyright Credits: 1157

About the author

Mari Carmen Ramírez is the Wortham Curator of Latin American Art and director of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Héctor Olea is an independent scholar and curator specializing in Latin American modern art. Tomás Ybarra-Frausto was the associate director for creativity and culture at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Resisting Categories: Latin American And/or Latino?: Volume 1; Critical Documents; Volume 1 of Critical documents of 20th-century Latin American and Latino art
• Editors: Mari Carmen Ramirez, Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, Hector Olea, Melina Kervandjian
• Contributors: Mari Carmen Ramirez, Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, María C. Gaztambide
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Yale University Press, 2012
• ISBN: 0300146973, 9780300146974
• Length: 1160 pages
• Subjects: Art / Caribbean & Latin American; Art / Criticism & Theory; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Hispanic American Studies