U.S. Colombianidades from the Margins: Intersectionality, Transnationalism, and Regionalism in the Diaspora

Colombian people have long been an important presence within US history and culture. US Colombianidades from the Margins: Intersectionality, Transnationalism, and Regionalism in the Diaspora documents their impacts, and the experiences of diasporic Colombian communities more broadly. We offer a set of dialogues with the UW community to inform our edited book project.

Our activities with the Simpson Center focus on an interdisciplinary, multi-methodological edited book that challenges dominant assumptions about Colombians: that we are a “new” group in the US; that we are an “other” within the broader Latina/o/x imaginary; that Colombians (and South Americans in general) are more privileged middle- and upper-class white migrants; and that our community can be comprehensively understood through the paradigms of narco-trafficking and hypersexualized femininity. In contrast, we use the frameworks of regionalism, transnationalism, and intersectionality to account for the distinct intricacies of Colombian diasporic lives, or US Colombianidades.

The project brings together research collaborators from several locations and engages with UW faculty and students to share research, a microseminar, and hosting guest scholars. We are excited to see how our interactions at UW will inform our thinking around diasporic Colombianidades and foster the expansion of the field of US Colombianx Studies.

Image: Paola de la Calle, “Untitled (Nostalgia)”