UF Center for Latin American Studies
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Center for Latin American Studies is shining a spotlight on Dr. Elizabeth García, visiting faculty at the Center.
September 28, 2018
Dr. García is originally from New York City born to Puerto Rican migrant parents; she received her B.A. in American Civilization/Economics from Brown University, and her M.A and Ph.D. in Comparative Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Her areas of specialization include Latino/a Studies, Race & Ethnicity, and Feminist & Gender Studies. García was Assistant Professor in the Africana/Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Department at Hunter College, New York. She served as Dean of Multicultural Affairs for nine years at Connecticut College where she also taught a course on Latino/a History. Most recently she was a Visiting Professor in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut where she taught courses on Latina Historical Narratives, Women of Color Feminism, and Sex/Gender in Critical Perspectives.
Regarding her research, García states “My research focuses on the representation of Latina women’s history and culture in literary narratives. I use a feminist intersectional approach that questions how race, class, gender, and sexuality intersect in the everyday lives of Latina women in the U.S. My research explores the ways Latinas have historically used their agency to resist and fight back against their marginalization and how they have (re)imagined what it means to be an American that is inclusive of their histories. Given that we live in a country where our belonging to the nation is consistently questioned, it is imperative that we highlight the long history that Latinas have had in this country. Literature gives us not only a space through which to tell our stories, but the possibility to imagine a better future.”
García’s articles have appeared in Centro Journal and the Latino Studies Journal, among others. Her book, Healing Memories: Puerto Rican Women’s Literature in the U.S. is forthcoming from the University of Pittsburgh Press in December 2018. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Healing Memories analyzes the ways that Puerto Rican women authors use their literary works to challenge historical methodologies that have silenced the historical experiences of Puerto Rican women in the United States.
