While glancing through the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship catalogue of projects, I was intrigued by the page titled Latinization of Southern Space and Place. I am not a Latin American student, nor do I have a vast background in Latin Culture. However, the premise seemed interesting. The website boasted a photo gallery of pictures from across the Southeast United States that demonstrated the spread of Latin culture into that of the Southeast.

The author, Daniel S. Margolies, of Virginia Wesleyan College, credits the Maurice L. Mednick Memorial Foundation as supporting the photographs in the gallery.  The project was part of the Tocqueville Seminars through the University of Richmond, which seek to internationalize the study of American history.  Margolies goes on to acknowledge individuals at the Digital Scholarship Lab as well who assisted in the project at the bottom of the home page.

Read More Through the Link.

The project itself, as outlined in the introduction, poses an interesting perspective on the spread of Latin culture and influence throughout the southeast. However, one thing I would’ve appreciated more, as someone with less background in Latin culture, would be an explanation of some of the trends in the photographs.

While some of the captions were very explicit in the photo gallery, such as how the low-rider automobile shops reflect similar Latin culture to that expected from the Los Angeles region, other pictures were less clear to me, such as the photographs of cowboy boots. While the photographs of Latin American people in these areas wearing cowboy boots would suggest the obvious correlation, an explanation on how this is Latin culture spreading rather than American Western culture influencing Latins in the Southeast would’ve helped make things more clear.

 Overall, though, I think the photographs in the Latinization of Southern Space and Place project are extremely valuable and will probably end up becoming primary sources for scholars who later look to track the spread of Latin culture in the southeastern United States. The visuals speak very powerfully, especially those that juxtapose the Spanish language signs to backgrounds that seem typical to those from the Southeastern region. And while I think Margolies does outline his thesis in the introduction explanation, I like that the individuals can interpret the photographs without the introduction as well quite simply.

Visually the website seems very minimalist.  I think there is definitely room for growth on this project, perhaps with pages either explaining some of the prevalent cultural trends or statistical data- that may not be available yet- about the trends present in different southeastern areas. Either way, though, the photographs and thesis are outlined. The site is easy to navigate, and the filters available at the bottom of the gallery page make the project even easier for viewers.  One thing I would like to see expanded on this project, though, is more room for conversation present in the narrative. The website provides proof of the trend of Latinization in the Southeast region of the United States, but what does that entail in the larger scope of the study of the Southeast region as a whole?

Kelli Ordonia

University of Central Florida

 
Reviewed Fall of 2011

To View Daniel S. Margolies’ “Latinization of Southern Space and Place” Click Here.