This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest Series. This series documents the histories, challenges, and contributions of Latinos to Chicago and the Midwest. It promotes an understanding of regional and historical differences in Latino communities and of the ways in which Latinos in Chicago and throughout the Midwest construct their own sense of Latinidad and cultural difference. It offers new conceptual frameworks for the study of interlatino dynamics in this understudied region as well as comparative studies with other regions in the United States and in transnational relations with Latin America. Longtime series editor Frances R. Aparicio was recently joined by Omar Valerio-Jiménez, and Sujey Vega. Dawn Durante, Senior Acquisitions Editor, is the acquiring editor. Aparico’s forthcoming book Negotiating Latinidad: Intralatina/o Lives in Chicago is the latest book in the series.
Aparicio said about the anniversary:
“In 2019, the Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest book series celebrates its fifteenth year in existence. I want to acknowledge and thank the support of the University of Illinois Press in making this series a reality. Having published thirteen titles since our inception in 2004, the series has become an important institutional space for scholarly contributions that focus on Latinx communities in our region. Our growth would not have been possible without the original support of former U of I Press editor-in-chief Joan Catapano, who believed in the project, and the serious commitment, energy, and work of the current acquisitions editor, Dawn Durante, as well as all the staff and personnel in the Press. Under the leadership of our two new co-editors, Sujey Vega and Omar Valerio-Jiménez, and all the authors who trusted our leadership and published with us, the series continues to be more visibleas it legitimates the centrality of the Midwest in understanding the experiences of Latinx communities in the United States. After a dynamic and diverse collection of titles—history, anthropology, memoir, cultural studies, and visual arts, among others—I envision many more years of growth!”
—Frances R. Aparicio, series editor Professor Emerita, Northwestern University
If you’re on the UIUC campus, please join us for a celebration of the series at La Casa Cultural Latina on September 26 at 3-4:30pm. José Ángel N. will read from his book Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant, which was recently translated into Spanish. Refreshments will be served. Stay tuned for events on the Springfield and Chicago campuses to celebrate this important series!