WILLIAMSTOWN - Mérida M. Rúa, associate professor of Latino/a Studies and American Studies and chair of the American studies program, will present "A Grounded Identidad: Making New Lives in Chicago's Puerto Rican Neighborhoods," the fourth talk of the Williams College annual faculty lecture series on Thursday, Feb. 28. at 4:15 p.m. in Wege Auditorium, Thompson Chemistry. The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in Schow atrium.
From February 2001 to August 2003, Rúa rented an apartment upstairs from Caribe Funeral Home, the first Puerto Rican-owned funeral home in Chicago, where members of the Puerto Rican community came on a daily basis to gossip, to reminisce, and to enjoy each other's company. At wakes, family and friends would engage in lively debates about whether a life had been a success or failure, hence, about the values and experiences of the community itself.
Rúa's presentation will explore the ways in which Puerto Ricans in the diaspora have understood, negotiated, and challenged their location and rights within U.S. political and social structures.
Through an analysis of reflections on community life by individuals visiting and/or paying respect to the dead and the living in a Chicago funeral home, her presentation sheds light on how an ethno-racial group navigates the boundaries of inclusion.
Rúa's examination of community life focuses on how commemorations, the sharing and making of memories, influence the social and
Rúa's areas of expertise include urban history and ethnography, migration and social networks, identity and community formation, and U. S. Latina/o studies. She has taught courses on Latina/o identities, urban studies, and the issues of home and belonging.
The Faculty Lecture Series will continue on March 7 with a lecture by Brent Heeringa, associate professor of computer science, titled "When Pretty Good is Good Enough: A Tour of Approximation Graphics." For info: williams.edu.
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