Invited Talk at Harvard University’s DRCLAS: Serial Storytelling, Sound, and Cultural Dialogue

One of the most impactful moments of my sabbatical year was being invited to speak at Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) as part of their Arts and Humanities Workshop Series. My talk, “Serial Mexico: Storytelling Across Media, from Nationhood to Now,” explored the cultural power of serialized narrative—from 19th-century novels to modern-day telenovelas and radiodramas—with a special focus on the role of sound in shaping collective memory and identity.

In today’s climate, institutions like DRCLAS are more vital than ever: they foster deep, critical engagement with the histories, languages, and voices across the Americas. I was honored to contribute to their mission by discussing how serialized media—especially in Mexico—has served as a vehicle for both state narratives and popular resistance, often through affective forms like music, voice, and melodrama.   My deepest thanks to Alejandra Vela Martinez, Mariano Siskind and DRCLAS [@harvarddrclas] for this invitation and for their continued work connecting scholarship with urgent public conversations.

Read more about this experience in my blog, Echoes Across the Americas: From Mérida to Boston in the Depths of Winter !