Evolving Directions: Migrant Literacies and Conjoined Twins

The Evolving Directions in Academic Research and Resources committee presents two new lectures on campus this April. Both talks will be held in Memorial Library, room 126, from 1:30-3:00 pm. The public is cordially invited to attend.

On Friday, April 4, Professor Ellen Samuels, Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, will present her talk: “Conjoined Twins from Archive to Etsy: Representation, Circulation, and the Ethics of Looking.”  Her work is highly interdisciplinary and multi-media.  Her areas of research focus on disability studies, gender studies/feminist theory, and American Literature.

On Thursday, April 10, Professor Catherine Vieira, Department of English, will present her talk: “Researching Migrant Literacies in Host Countries and Homelands.” She will discuss two ethnographic projects on migration and literacy. She looks at how migrants in a host country are “most concerned with papers, such as visas, green cards, and passports,” while for migrants’ familly members in homelands, “letters, emails, texts, and video chats–is front and center.”  Her areas of research include the social history of literacy, multilingual writing, and Latino/a studies.

Geared towards library staff as a method for keeping up with interdisciplinary research on campus, these lectures also provide a great opportunity for faculty to meet library staff who are interested in supporting them through the acquisition of resources and the provision of services. The talks are sponsored by ASHIND (Area Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities Interdisciplinary Group).

Want to know more? Contact Lyn Korenic, Chair of the Evolving Directions group and Director of the Kohler Art Library, at lkorenic@library.wisc.edu.