In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Bookstore will host a group of UNM faculty authors for a talk and book signing at 2 p.m. today.
The four faculty members have written books on anthropology, law, Spanish and political science centered around New Mexico.
Laura Gomez, School of Law professor and author of Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race, organized the event.
“I think it’s a very nice opportunity for students who don’t know a lot about the subjects and even students who do,” Gomez said. “This is a pretty diverse set of books and authors to bring together.”
Gomez said she was inspired to write her book while she was an undergraduate.
“I was a student at Harvard in the 1980s, and it was the first time I was ever away from New Mexico,” she said. “I started thinking about New Mexico history in a different way, and I just felt compelled to tell this story.”
Gomez said the history of the Hispanic community is significant in America’s identity.
“By the year 2030, Latinos in the U.S. are going to be a third of the overall population,” Gomez said. “In New Mexico that’s not anything new, because we’ve always had a large presence here, but thinking about that on a more national level and their role in American history is important.”
Anthropology Professor Sylvia Rodriguez said she also uses her book The Matachines Dance for a class she developed called the Anthropology of Water.
“Its deals with the cultural and religious meanings of water and water-related rituals in the Catholic tradition and Taos area,” she said.
Rodriguez said Hispanic Heritage Month spotlights a community that is often ignored.
“This month can be used to highlight the accomplishments of people who might not have gotten as much recognition in previous decades,” Rodriguez said.
Author and political science professor Gabriel Sanchez will also speak at the Bookstore.
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Sanchez said students need to broaden their knowledge of how Latinos impact politics and history in New Mexico.
“I’m hoping that they’ll have a better understanding of how the Latino community interacts with the political system and how this population is really working hard to try to become more involved,” he said. “A lot of folks really think about Latinos as being apolitical, or not interested in politics, and I’m really hoping we can put that myth to rest.”
Sanchez said he uses his book Hispanics and the U.S. Political System: Moving into the Mainstream in classes he teaches at UNM.
“There are very few books on this topic that can be used as textbooks in a classroom setting for Hispanic or race politics classes,” he said.
*Hispanic Heritage Month
Faculty Authors Book Signing
Today at 2 p.m.
UNM Bookstore
Laura Gomez: Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race
Sylvia Rodriguez: The Matachines Dance
Gabriel Ramon Sanchez: Hispanics and the U.S. Political System: Moving into the Mainstream
Neddy Vigil: The Spanish Language of New Mexico and Southern Colorado
Faculty Panel Speech
Today at 2 p.m.
UNM Bookstore*