Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad

Silvio Torres-Saillant is a professor of English and Dean's Professor of the Humanities at Syracuse University. He is the author of Caribbean Poetics: Toward an Aesthetic of West Indian Literature, El retorno de las yolas, and An Intellectual History of the Caribbean.Nancy Kang is an associate professor of women's and gender studies at the University of Manitoba, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Transnational Feminisms and Gender-Based Violence. She is a coauthor of The Once and Future Muse: The Poetry and Poetics of Rhina P. Espaillat with Silvio Torres-Saillant.Michael Nieto Garcia is a professor of literature at Clarkson University. He is the author of Autobiography in Black & Brown: Ethnic Identity in Richard Wright and Richard Rodriguez and the widely-accessed essay, "Do Brown People have Brown Thoughts?"

"For those of us fortunate enough to know Silvio Torres-Saillant, reading Problematic Paradigms and the Countours of US Latinidad is like having a long-overdue visit with a dear friend, one organized by fellow friends who invite you to sip a sweet cafecito while you talk, reflect, and engage in good humored debate about topics that range far, wide, and deep. For those of you who have not yet gotten to know Silvio, this collection of his essays offers a warm introduction to his prodigious oeuvre, brilliant intellect, and sharp wit. In either case, this book beautifully reminds us that spending some time with Silvio is comforting, inspirational, and very necessary in perennially difficult times." - Ginetta E. B. Candelario, Smith College, editor of Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism"Problematic Paradigms and the Contours of US Latinidad is a fitting tribute to the enduring intellectual legacy of Silvio Torres-Saillant, whose groundbreaking work has helped shape the fields of Latino and Caribbean studies. Bringing together some of his most influential writings, this compelling volume highlights the clarity, rigor, and critical insight that have defined his scholarship. It will spark important conversations among scholars, students, and activists seeking to understand the evolving contours of US Latinidad." - Lourdes Torres, DePaul University, editor of the journal Latino Studies, 2012–2023

• Note on Terminology. Latino, Latina/o, Latin@, Latinx, Latine, and Whatever Comes Next: Considering Multiple Identity LabelsIntroduction. On Problematic Paradigms and the Poetics of Identity (Nancy Kang and Michael Nieto Garcia)Part I. Approaches to Dominican Studies: History, Literature, and CultureChapter 1. Before the Diaspora: Early Dominican Literature in the United StatesChapter 2. Visions of Dominicanness in the United StatesChapter 3. Pilgrims of Humane Remembrance at the Borderlands Part II. Latinidad in Literature, Culture, and PoliticsChapter 4. Latino Identity, Nationalism, and Latinidad: A Tenuous "Community"Chapter 5. The Political Essay and Latino AutobiographyChapter 6. Inventing the Race: Latinos and the Ethnoracial PentagonChapter 7. Problematic Paradigms: Racial Diversity and Corporate Identity in the Latino Community Part III. Critical Readings of Racial Politics and Afro-LatinidadesChapter 8. Afro-Latinidad: Phoenix Rising from Hemispheric AshesChapter 9. Racism in the Americas and the Latino ScholarChapter 10. Afro-Latinos and the Racial WallEpilogue. On Being Collected: Looking Backwards and the Perils of Baseball Nationalism (Silvio Torres-Saillant) AcknowledgmentsCredits and Publication HistoryWorks CitedIndex