From the European “discovery” of the New World to the current global economic system, América Latina is situated within multiple colonial projects and is a site of complex racial and ethnic dynamics. Though much has been written on those histories, most research on race and ethnicity within the sports studies field has been fixated on the black and white racial binary. While these studies have been instructive, they continue to manifest projects of racial imperialism and settler colonialism by excluding the Latinx diaspora. Though often overlooked by scholars, sport has played a significant role for those with ties to Latin America, beginning with our indigenous ancestors, to the integration of Latinx athletes in modern sports, to the Latinization of professional sports. This session, partially entitled ¡Reclamando Nuestros Raíces! (Reclaiming Our Roots!), challenges sport scholars to expand anti-oppressive and anti-racist scholarship in new directions by drawing attention to the experiences, challenges and issues of the Latinx diaspora. The session will include research that critically examines Latinx populations and traditions in both North American and International sporting cultures with the broad goal of “decolonizing minds, and indigenizing hearts.”
Presenters: Demetrius Pearson Javier Wallace A. Jaime Morales Jr.
