A new journal inspired mainly by but not limited to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latinidad perspectives, "Nepantla: Views from the South" is committed to fostering innovative reflection at the intersection of the humanities and the social sciences. Drawing on the international and interdisciplinary conference 'Cross-Genealogies and Subaltern Knowledges', while also including outside essays, the premier issue significantly advances the subaltern studies debate.Divided into four sections, this collection opens with a set of 'positions papers' that addresses the core issues surrounding transnational subaltern studies. Next, an essay section initiates discussion on such topics as Islamic feminism as 'multiple critique', an examination of insurrection in El Salvador that reflects on North/South interfaces, and the question of borders and modernity from a Chicana perspective. The interview section features Americo Paredes.As an ethnographer, folklorist, poet, novelist, and essayist, Paredes has been a prominent presence in Chicano cultural life for the last fifty years.
Finally, the closing section raises a discussion among several leading Chilean intellectuals about the conditions of university discourse in contemporary life. Alberto Moreiras is Associate Professor of Romance Studies and Literature at Duke University. Walter Mignolo is William Hanes Wannamaker Professor of Romance Studies and Professor of Literature and Cultural Anthropology at Duke University. Gabriela Nouzeilles is Assistant Professor of Romance Studies at Duke University.