Malcreados: Against Civility and Carceral States

How can we work outside traditional formal electoral and legislative mechanisms of political change in order to make the state accountable to our communities? From the increasing militarization of the border, the pernicious... [ view full abstract ]

How can we work outside traditional formal electoral and legislative mechanisms of political change in order to make the state accountable to our communities? From the increasing militarization of the border, the pernicious criminalization of immigrants and proliferation of for-profit prisons, to the blatant disregard for Black and Brown lives in both formal and informal public spheres, the state has expanded and intensified its ability to criminalize people of color. Yet, the waves of new forms of activism reveal that Latinas/os, too, are rethinking traditional mechanisms of political representation and recognition. The panelists on this plenary will speak to the various forms Latina/o public protest has taken, and its effects on the broader political culture from the local to the national and transnational spheres.