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Podcast: New Books in Literary Studies
Episode: Rebeca L. Hey-Colón, "Channeling Knowledges: Water and Afro-Diasporic Spirits in Latinx and Caribbean Worlds" (U Texas Press, 2023)
Description: Water is often tasked with upholding division through the imposition of geopolitical borders. We see this in the construction of the Rio Grande/RÃo Bravo on the US-Mexico border, as well as in how the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean are used to delineate the limits of US territory. In stark contrast to this divisive view, Afro-diasporic religions conceive of water as a place of connection; it is where spiritual entities and ancestors reside, and where knowledge awaits.Departing from the premise that water encourages confluence through the sustainment of contradiction, Channeling Knowledges: Water and Af...