The final presentation of the American Transitions in a Globalizing World lecture series tonight will feature Manuel Pastor, the director of the Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Pastor, whose lecture is titled Interdependence, Inequality and Identity: Linking U.S. Latinos and Latin Americans, will speak about the influences of the Latin community on the United States.
Globalization is affecting us all economically, politically, culturally and socially, said Jon Shefner, a professor in the department of sociology and one of the lecture series organizers.
Culturally, Americans have always had a variety of influences to draw from, ranging from Latin, African, Native American and immigrant whites of different kinds. The issue of identity and interdependence as Pastor brings it to us, addresses the questions of who we are as a culture and as a society, and who we will become.
Pastor is also a professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, and is currently working on issues of environmental justice with the support of the California Endowment and the California Policy Research Center. His research on Latin American and urban issues in the United States focuses on the labor market and social conditions in low-income urban communities.
Pastor’s wide experience as a scholar and administrator of a new program aimed at nurturing diversity is an important part of his background, and so he brings quite a lot to the discussion, Shefner said.
The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the University Center, Suite 226-227.
Pastor will also lead a more informal discussion at 12:15 p.m. Friday on the 12th floor of McClung Tower. Faculty, students and community residents are welcomed to attend.
Four events were featured in the lecture series, all focusing on some aspect on the effects of globalization.
According to Shefner, the series went better than he had hoped.
We have brought really interesting people with important things to say to campus, and they have been received well by the UT and Knoxville community, Shefner said. We have high hopes for this event and for the following lectures and discussion next semester.
