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Author Talk: Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side

with Author Amelia Tseng

Join the DC History and The People's Archive as Amelia Tseng discusses her new book, which provides a new framework for understanding how language and identity intersect in ever-evolving America.

In the 1980s, Washington, DC—a predominantly African American, racially and economically segregated city with a strong local Black culture—became a hub of Latin American immigration. As the city's communities interacted, an identity both unique to DC and reflective of diverse Latin American cultures was born.

Empanadas, Pupusas, and Greens on the Side is the first linguistics book to explore how the Latinx community forged a new sense of home and identity in Washington. Using original ethnographic research—including interviews, narratives, and surveys—Tseng develops a new framework for understanding the relationship between race, identity, language, and culture, and she explains what happens when communities interact.

Readers interested in the cultural history of Washington, Latinx history, and language and society will enjoy this rich study of language as a cross-cultural current in ever-evolving America.

Speakers

Amelia Tseng is Assistant Professor in Spanish and Linguistics. Her research addresses how language shapes and is shaped by identity across immigrant generations in Latinx diasporic contexts, focusing on multilingualism, dialect variation, discourse, and the construction of ethnoracial and cultural identity.

Nancy Raquel Mirabal is on the Advisory Board for the Center for Global Migration Studies and an Affiliate faculty with the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity, and the Center for Latin American Studies. She has published widely in the fields of Afro-diasporic and Latinx Studies.

Founded in 1894, the DC History Center deepens understanding of our city's past to connect, empower, and inspire. As the only community-based nonprofit focused on the District’s history, our vision is to engage with neighborhoods across DC and elevate the stories of Washington’s diverse people, communities, and institutions.

The People's Archive at DC Public Library is home to the dynamic collections that preserve and share the stories, histories, and voices of Washington, D.C.’s diverse communities, as well as the Black experience in the Unites States. It features materials—such as photographs, oral histories, documents, and more—that highlight the vibrant local, national and international history of DMV residents, grassroots movements, and cultural milestones, making it a valuable resource for researchers, historians, and anyone interested in learning more about the city’s past and present.

For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.

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