Maritza E Cardenas

Interests

Teaching

Latin American and Latina/o cultural productions; Ethnic studies; Cultural studies; American Studies, popular culture; Literary theory

Research

US Central American studiesLatina/o studiesAmerican StudiesCultural and Critical theory

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Cardenas, M. E. (2018). Constituting Central American-Americans: Transnational Identities and the Politics of Dislocation. Rutgers University Press.
  More info

  Signed a final book manuscript contract in December 2016

Chapters

• Cardenas, M. E. (2021). "Querying Central America(n) From the US Diaspora. In Critical Diálogos in Latina and Latino Studies(p. 23).
• Cardenas, M. E. (2019). Central American-American Identity and Politics. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature(p. 25). doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.013.429
• Cardenas, M. E. (2017). "Performing Centroamericanismo”: Isthmian Identities at the COFECA Independence Parade.. In US Central Americans: Reconstructing Memories, Struggles and Communities of Resistance(p. 25). University of Arizona.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2016). “Is Carlos Mencia a White Wetback?: Mediating the (E)Racing of US Central Americans in the Latina/o Imaginary. In Race and Contention in 21st Century US Media(p. 26). Routledge.

Journals/Publications

• Cardenas, M. E. (2017). A Central American Wound: Remapping the US Borderlands in Oscar Martinez's The Beast.. Symbolism: An International Annual of Critical Aesthetics, 25.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2017). The Limits of Liberal Recognition: The Politics and Production of Central American-American Identity. Journal of Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies, 26.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2013). From Epicentro to Fault Lines: Re-Writing Central America from the Diaspora. Studies in 20th and 21st Century Literature, 37(2), 111-130.

Presentations

• Cardenas, M. E. (2023). "Migration and Disability" . Invited Talk. University of Arizona: SCCT.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2023). “Revisiting Disability, Migration and Latinx Studies from a Central American Perspective.”. Invited Speaker. California State University Northridge.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2023). “Revisiting Disability, Migration and Latinx Studies from a Central American Perspective.”. Invited speaker. California State University Los Angeles.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2019, February). Unbecoming Central American-American.”. Invited Talk. Eugene Oregon: University of Oregon.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2019, January). Impassing Subjects: Latinidad, Normativity and the Making of Central American-Americans.”. Invited Talk. Chicago Illinois: Northwestern University.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2019, November). Beyond Slaves: The Limits of using “Human Rights” frameworks in representations of Central American female migrants”.. American Studies Association. Honolulu, HI: American Studies Association.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2018, February). A Central American Wound. LAS Charla. Tucson, AZ.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2018, January). Third Country Nationals. Modern Languages Association. New York City, NY.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2018, July). Central American Transmigrations. Latino Studies Association. Washington D.C.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2018, July). Constituting Central American-Americans: New Books in Latinx Studies. Latino Studies Association. Washington DC.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2018, March). Other Than Mexican: Central American-Americans. Arizona Quarterly Institute. Tucson, Arizona.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2018, November). US Central Americans in the Era of Trump. American Studies Association. Atlanta, GA: ASA.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2017, November). “From the North/South to the South/South: La Bestia, Transmigration and Central American Collective Memory.”. Invited Talk for California State University Northridge. Northridge CA: California State University Northridge.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2017, Spring). “Constructing Centralaméricanismo: Identity and Performance at the COFECA Independence Day Parade.”. National Association of Chicana/o Studies. Irvine , CA: National Association of Chicana/o Studies.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2016, July). Other Than Mexicans: US Central Americans and the Politics of Passing. Latina/o Studies Association Conference. Los Angeles, CA: Latina/o Studies Association.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2016, November). (Disem)Body Politics: La Bestia and Central American Heteropathic Memory and Identification. American Studies Association. Denver, CO: American Studies Association.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2015, April). “Other Central Americans: The Possibilities and Limitations of a US Isthmic Identity.”. Rocky Mountain Council for Latin American Studies..
• Cardenas, M. E. (2015, April). “Re-Cognizing the Politics and Productions of Central American-Americans.”. Invited Speaker. Duke University.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2015, March). “The Other’s Other?: Rethinking Chicano Studies as a site of Resistance.”. Conference on College Composition and Communication. Tampa, FL: Conference on College Composition and Communication.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2015, November). “The Limits of Recognition: Rethinking Strategies in Latina/o Identity Politics.”. Invited Speaker. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2014, February). “Unfunny Politics: Latinidad and the Misreading of Carlos Mencia.”. Southwest Popular Culture Association Conference. Albuquerque, NM..
• Cardenas, M. E. (2014, July). Central Americans in the US: Notions of Belonging and Unbelonging.. Latino Studies Conference. Chicago, IL.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2014, July). “Central Americans in the US: Notions of Belonging and Unbelonging.”. Latino Studies Association Conference.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2014, March). Unfunny Politics: Latinidad and the Misreading of Carlos Mencia.. Southwest Popular Culture Association Conference. Albuquerque, NM.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2014, March). “Borderlands Productions, Queer Migrations, and Counter Movements”.. Tucson Festival of Books. Tucson, AZ.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2014, November). EnGendering the Nation: Beauty Queens and Drag Queens at the COFECA Central American Independence Parade.. American Studies Association Conference. Los Angeles, CA.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2013, August). “Constituting Isthmian Americans.”. Woodrow Wilson Retreat. Tampa, FL.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2013, Fall). “OTM’s and the (de)Construction of Ethnic Studies in Arizona.”. Critical Ethnic Studies Conference. Chicago, IL.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2013, May). "Performing Centralamericanismo: (Re)Imagining Central America via the COFECA Independence Parade.”. Latin American Studies Association. Washington, DC.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2012, February). Alternative Latinidades: The Politics and Production of Central American-Americans. Arizona State University.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2012, March). “(Re)Writing Central America: Poetic Interventions from the US Central American Diaspora.”. American Comparative Literature Conference. Providence, RI.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2012, May). “At the Limits of Latinidad: Central American-American subjectivity and Latina/o subjectivity.”. Latin American Studies Association. San Francisco, CA.
• Cardenas, M. E. (2012, Spring). “Is the Central American-American subject a Latina/o Subject?”. Lozano Long Conference. University of Texas, Austin.