ABSTRACT
How do people of Latin American descent remember their history and maintain their culture in the United States? For many this is a challenge. But with the arrival of so many people in the last quarter century, and the natural growth of the community, we are seeing an unprecedented influence of Latinx culture in the United States. Aside from the promotion of our history among academics, one way to remember our traditions and stories is through public history. Family history, oral traditions, and even the land itself can help to promote an understanding of the concept of greater Latin America, which points to the increasing cultural and geopolitical linkages between Latin America and the United States. The key to uncovering this history is to hear the voices of the people who, for centuries, have created these links, erasing borders and forging a new culture along the way. I will use as a backdrop interviews I took of my parents, interviews my students took of Central American immigrants, and pedagogical approaches tied to the community. These voices will help to explain how subjectivity can transform Latin American history from a subject that is often devoid of meaning for the struggling Latinx student, into a transformative experience. The voices of the forgotten often reveal the deepest aspects of culture because they are coming from a subjective retelling of the past. The prospect of oral history is that anyone can contribute to it. Although some historians insist that we write objectively, utilize “primary” documents and the latest methodologies, the truth is that history is made by the people who lived it and can be shared by all who remember the stories of elders. Oral history, memory, performance, oral tradition, and folklore constitute ways of remembering that are counterintuitive to the ways most historians collect information. For the Latinx community, these are essential tools of our collective history. They are not tools indigenous to the Americas, nor are they exclusively Western; they are universal and significantly contribute to the telling of history. In the end, this essay will critique elements of contemporary historical research and will reveal how active self-reflection can help Latinx educators and students to (re)member their history.
