Laura Salas
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): William Calvo-Quiros
Co-Presenter: Talavera, Itzel
Research Mentor School/College/Department: American Culture / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Oral5
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: Breakout room 4
Authors:
Presenter: 1
Abstract
Our research centers around two popular “saints” from Mexico: La Santa Muerte (LSM) and San Toribio Romo (STR). The first one, LSM is a representation of death, that has been associated by the media with Narco Capitalism. The second one, S’TR, is an official saint of the Catholic Church. Throughout the semester, the team of UROP students has focussed on LSM. They have read books and articles, as well as watched films related to the representation of these two “saints” and the impact, these images, have on the treatment and misunderstanding of Latinxs communities in the US. We are studying the migration of faith practices on Mexican immigrants to the US. In addition, this project, led by Dr. William Calvo-Quiros, studies how the LGBTQ community approaches the veneration of LSM. It includes oral histories of transgender followers in NYC. The research reveals how religiosity is an important component of many Latino immigrants, and how migration shapes religiosity. In our work, we have also analyzed how the states (Mexico and the United) try to regulate and control the migration of religious practices.
Arts and Humanities, Interdisciplinary
