Overview

How water enables Caribbean and Latinx writers to reconnect to their pasts, presents, and futures. Water is often tasked with upholding division through the imposition of geopolitical borders. We see this in the construction of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo on the US-Mexico border, as well as in how the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean are used to delineate the limits of US territory. In stark contrast to this divisive view, Afro-diasporic religions conceive of water as a place of connection; it is where spiritual entities and ancestors reside, and where knowledge awaits. Departing from the premise that water encourages confluence through the sustainment of contradiction, Channeling Knowledges fathoms water's depth and breadth in the work of Latinx and Caribbean creators such as Mayra Santos-Febres, Rita Indiana, Gloria Evangelina Anzaldua, and the Border of Lights collective. Combining methodologies from literary studies, anthropology, history, and religious studies, Rebeca L. Hey-Colon's interdisciplinary study traces how Latinx and Caribbean cultural production draws on systems of Afro-diasporic worship--Haitian Vodou, La 21 Division (Dominican Vodou), and Santeria/Regla de Ocha--to channel the power of water, both salty and sweet, in sustaining connections between past, present, and not-yet-imagined futures.

Full Product Details

9781477327241

Table of Contents

Reviews

"Hey-Colón's approach to water is expansive and groundbreaking, as the book engages with saltwaters and freshwaters, unsettling the disciplinary boundaries that have traditionally linked these bodies of water to either Caribbean or Latinx Studies . . . As such, Channeling Knowledges, which is part of the ""Latinx: The Future Is Now"" series run by the University of Texas Press, represents a crucial and timely contribution to Afrolatinx, Caribbean, Border, and Religious Studies.-- ""A Contracorriente"" (10/21/2023 12:00:00 AM)"

Hey-Colón posits an intriguing, thought-provoking approach to reading Latinx and Caribbean diasporic literature...She demonstrates an impressive command of Afro-diasporic religions and has used it well to offer innovative and penetrating readings of iconic texts and paintings.-- ""Hispania"" (3/1/2024 12:00:00 AM) Channeling Knowledges is a significant contribution to Black diaspora studies, Caribbean studies, and US Latinx studies. Its interdisciplinary nature marks its value for scholars working with water as a literary trope or those working with traditional knowledge systems.-- ""Chiricú Journal"" (11/1/2024 12:00:00 AM) Channeling Knowledges successfully explores Afro-diasporic spirituality in literary worlds that pull us into Olokun's depths, while it elevates the intellectual, artistic, and activist labor of Latina/x and Caribbean writers.-- ""ReVista"" (1/26/2024 12:00:00 AM) Hey-Colón's approach to water is expansive and groundbreaking, as the book engages with saltwaters and freshwaters, unsettling the disciplinary boundaries that have traditionally linked these bodies of water to either Caribbean or Latinx Studies . . . As such, Channeling Knowledges, which is part of the ""Latinx: The Future Is Now"" series run by the University of Texas Press, represents a crucial and timely contribution to Afrolatinx, Caribbean, Border, and Religious Studies.-- ""A Contracorriente"" (10/21/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"Hey-Colón’s approach to water is expansive and groundbreaking, as the book engages with saltwaters and freshwaters, unsettling the disciplinary boundaries that have traditionally linked these bodies of water to either Caribbean or Latinx Studies . . . As such, Channeling Knowledges, which is part of the ""Latinx: The Future Is Now"" series run by the University of Texas Press, represents a crucial and timely contribution to Afrolatinx, Caribbean, Border, and Religious Studies. * A Contracorriente *"

Author Information

Rebeca L. Hey-ColÓn is an assistant professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Temple University.

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