One in four Latin Americans identify as Afrodescendants. This panel considers teaching strategies that use Hispanic heritage, and specifically Afrolatinidad — the histories, identities, and cultures of Afrodescendants in Latin America, inclusive of the Caribbean — as an entry point to pique student interest in sub-Saharan Africa and African Studies, and to increase recognition of the important contributions of Africa, Africans, and Afrodescendants in Latin America. Perhaps of most interest to affiliates of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) — a federal designation, defined by Title V in the Higher Education Act, for those non-profit institutions of higher learning with an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 25% Hispanic — but open to all, this panel focuses on sharing teaching strategies, techniques, interventions, and tools that connect Africa with Latin America, and expand beyond the narrative that the Triangle Trade connected only England, West Africa, and the US south. Resources developed and used by panelists will be shared with attendees to use in their own classrooms and inspire their own curriculum development and understanding of the extent and character of the African Diaspora in Latin America. [abstract to be expanded and modified to reflect panelists’ contributions]
Email arianna.huhn@csusb.edu by 3/1/2024 with your paper proposal if you are interested in joining this session.
Note: I was inspired to put together this panel after adding a unit on Afrolatinidad to my African Ethnographies class. My own presentation will focus on this experience, as well as sharing an open-access resource that my students and I created for educational use (Loteria Afrolatina).
Teaching With and About Afrolatinidad
