Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Persánch (2007) / 1
Ilan Stavans
Writing is like breathing. I write every day, generally at night because I'm
not interrupted. Besides, at night I'm tired, which gives the mind a special
sharpness.
I must admit that it was all new to me back in 2007. Living in Massachusetts,
where I attended Carleen Basler´s undergraduate courses ´Latino Identity in the
U.S´ and ´White Identity in the U.S´ at Amherst College, along with delightful
informal conversations with Ilan Stavans about the historic situation and current
life conditions of Hispanics in the United States which both widened and shaped
my views in such a way that my PhD would never have been the same without this
experience. I am thankful for all they did and said for they have inspired me with
their work, which has unquestionably contributed significantly to the way I now
perceive the world.
The following is a short interview which focuses on some general aspects of the
U.S life concerning Hispanics.
INTERVIEW
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JPS: Can you briefly describe yourself?
IS: My Mexican, J ewish, and US identities shape everything I do. These identities aren t at odds
with each other; on the contrary, they complement themselves. Language, to me, is essential: Spanish,
Yiddish and Hebrew, and English, are all unique lenses through which I perceive the world.
IS: I m a by-product of the Mexican middle-class in the 1970s. My ancestors were immigrants
from Poland and the Ukraine.
JPS: Has US foreign policy gone too far on im m igration m atters? Has the traditional pull-push
theory of immigration been transformed or re-conceptualised recently as an effective tool of indirect
oppression?
IS: US foreign policy is a m ess at the m om ent. The Bush Adm inistration has tarnished the nation s
reputation at the global level. The issue of immigration is particularly chaotic. Our paternalistic
approach to the Americas has pushed the region to the far left. Simultaneously, poverty and
unemployment continue to push people northbound. Once in the US, immigrants are perceived as
parasites. But this view in spite of intolerant voices like those of Sam Huntington and Pat
Buchanan are the salvo of a dinosaur generation on its way out. I believe the nation is undergoing a
dramatic cultural change at its core, becoming more heterogeneous, more global. Happily, the very
immigrants being denigrated today will shape the foreign and domestic policy of this country
tomorrow.
JPS: Has the Latino community evolved or involved in the past three decades, in terms of rights
and social perception? What are the markers supporting your idea?
IS: It has unquestionably evolved. Latinos in the 1940 s lived in the fringes; today we re becom ing
part of mainstream culture. Take music, for example. Salsa, merengue, bachata, corrido, jazz, hip-
hop for the last fifty years Latin rhythms have been reinvigorating US culture.
JPS: Is a socio-hierarchical structural change possible in the US within a short period of time? Or
will whiteness re-invent itself all over again to reinforce the status quo?
IS: Is there really such a thing as whiteness ? In any case, the US is already far m ore ethnically
diverse than it ever was, certainly since World War II, and the future is quite promising.
JPS: According to Sam uel Huntington s article The Hispanic Challenge, the persistent inflow of
Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two
languages. Is this true?
IS: Poor Professor Huntington, who lived so comfortably in his New England tower, deluded by
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paranoid visions of clashing and conflicting civilizations while dispensing sound bites of erudition! In
the past I d publicly invited him to join m e in a weekend trip to Miam i, all expenses covered. It s easy
to prove to him that the US isn t likely to be divided into two peoples, two cultures, two languages. In
fact, it will be divided into many more.
_______________________________________________________________
ENTREVISTA
IS: Mis identidades mejicana, judía y estadounidense dan forma a todo lo que hago. Estas
identidades no entran en conflicto unas con otras; al contrario, se complementan. La lengua, para mí,
es esencial: Español, Yiddish y Hebreo, e Inglés, son todas lentes únicas a través de las cuales percibo
el mundo.
IS: Soy un bi-producto de la clase media mexicana de la década de 1970. Mis ancestros fueron
inmigrantes procedentes de Polonia y Ucrania.
IS: Un im perfecto pero esperanzador experim ento social, definido por newness.
JPS: ¿Ha llegado demasiado lejos Estados Unidos en asuntos de inmigración? ¿Se ha transformado
o re-conceptualizado recientemente la tradicional Teoría de inmigración conocida como Push-
Pull ("Tira-afloja") en una herramienta efectiva de opresión indirecta?
JPS: ¿Ha evolucionado o involucionado la comunidad latina en las tres últimas décadas, en
términos de derechos y percepción social? ¿En qué sustenta su respuesta?
IS: Incuestionablemente ha evolucionado. Los Latinos durante los años de 1940s vivían en los
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márgenes; hoy nos estamos integrando como parte del mainstream cultural. Toma la música, por
ejemplo, Salsa, merengue, bachata, corrido, jazz, hip-hop en los últimos cincuenta años los ritmos
latinos han revigorizado la cultura norteamericana.
JPS: ¿Es posible un cambio estructural socio-jerárquico en los Estados Unidos a corto plazo? ¿O la
identidad blanca se reinventa una y otra vez para reforzar el Status Quo?
IS: ¿Existe de verdad tal cosa como la identidad blanca? En cualquier caso, los Estados Unidos es
ya mucho más diverso étnicamente de lo que fue jamás, ciertamente desde la Segunda Guerra
Mundial, y el futuro es bastante prometedor.
JPS: Según Samuel Huntington en su artículo The Hispanic Challenge: El persistente flujo de
inmigrantes Hispanos amenaza con dividir los Estados Unidos en dos pueblos, dos culturas, y dos
lenguas." ¿Es esto cierto?
IS: Pobre Professor Huntington, quien vive (vivió) confortablemente en su torre de New England,
carcomido por visiones paranoicas de choques y conflictos entre civilizaciones al tiempo que dispensa
mordiscos sonoros de erudición. En el pasado le invité públicamente para que viniera conmigo de
viaje a Miami, todos los gastos pagados. Es fácil demostrarle que los Estados Unidos no es probable
que se divida en dos pueblos, dos culturas, dos lenguas. De hecho, se dividirá en muchas más.