Columbus Day — I remember learning about Christopher Columbus in fourth grade. He was presented to us as a great hero who discovered the New World and helped introduce civilization to the Indians. Some years later, I learned more about the devastating impact that Columbus and his fellow European explorers had on Native Americans, so I understand why Columbus Day is such a problematic holiday. There is now a movement to discontinue celebrating Columbus Day and replace it with an Indigenous People’s Day or Native Americans Day. I support the movement to set aside a day to recognize and celebrate Native Americans, but I think that Columbus Day also provides an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the immigration process on the history of America.
I am a descendant of immigrants from Poland (on my father’s side) and Sweden (on my mother’s side) who came to the United States via Ellis Island in the early 20th century, so when I think of the immigration process I automatically bring up associations with Ellis Island. In 1954, Ellis Island closed, and it is now an historic site, but that does not mean that immigration has come to an end. Immigrants continue to arrive in the United States, many from Latin America, and they continue to shape our culture and language.
Ellis Island
Two recently published books by English faculty members provide keen insights into the current immigration process in terms of both culture and language. Maya Socolovsky’s Troubling Nationhood in U.S. Latina Literature: Exploration of Place and Belonging (Rutgers University press, 2013) explores how a number of contemporary Latina writers from Mexican American, Puerto Rican and Cuban American backgrounds respond to the concept of nationhood in their writings. As Maya argues in her book, these writers are redrawing the cultural map of the United States so that it reflects a broader, more Pan-American vision of the United States. Elizabeth Miller’s The Language of Adult Immigrants: Agency in the Making (Multilingual Matters, 2014) examines the connection between power dynamics and second-language acquisition in the lives of recent immigrants. As Liz makes clear in her book, these recent immigrants see the learning of English as being associated with the political and social dimensions of their lives.
Christopher Columbus never settled in America, but he played a role in one of the most significant population shifts in human history. On this Columbus Day, I think it makes sense to take a “big picture” view of the impact of immigration in the history of America. I am very pleased that several of our colleagues are already contributing to our understanding of this important aspect the American experience.
Student Engagement — The upcoming Center City Literary Festival takes place this Friday and Saturday, and I am happy to report that all four of the English Department’s student organizations have stepped forward to help. Students from the English Learning Community, Sigma Tau Delta, the English Graduate Student Association, and the Children’s Literature Graduate Organization have volunteered their time to help with this festival. I feel fortunate that we have such engaged students associated with the English Department. For more information about the festival, see attached flyer.
Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Laura Eason, an English major, has been named to CLAS-ACT, which is an undergraduate student advisory council for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Sarah Minslow presented a paper titled “Offering a Place to Stay: Academic Advisors at the Center for First Generation College Students’ Experiences” at the NACADA (National Academic Advisor Association) conference in Minneapolis. She co-wrote the paper with Pamela Richardson-Nowak.
Alan Rauch recently gave a paper titled “The Urban Squirrel” as part of the session “Humans and Other Animals” (which he chaired) at the 28th Annual meeting of the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts in Dallas.
Aaron Toscano recently presented a paper titled “Video Games and Aggressive Word-Play: Media Sensationalism on the Effects of Playing Violent Video Games” at the Popular Culture Association of the South/American Culture Association of the South Conference in New Orleans.
Quirky Quiz Question — Christopher Columbus is credited with introducing horses to North America during his second voyage to America, which took place in 1493. In reality, however, horses evolved in North America, and they populated much of the continent during the Pleistocene Epoch. Some of them moved to Eurasia when there was a land bridge between the two contents. Horses eventually went extinct in North America, but they thrived in Eurasia. What caused this land bridge to appear and then disappear?
Last week’s answer: The Jewish Daily Forward