Literary production is increasingly shaped by globalization and the complex nature of cultural, political, and social interaction. As such, longstanding colonial and postcolonial relations between Africa and Europe have yielded a range of challenging questions, and new generations of writers with roots in Africa have invariably found themselves navigating new geographic terrains and negotiating racialized identities, while simultaneously exploring the potential of literature in addressing the...

Volume 3 of 6 of the complete premium print version of journal forum for inter-american research (fiar), which is the official electronic journal of the International Association of Inter-American Studies (IAS). fiar was established by the American Studies Program at Bielefeld University in 2008. We foster a dialogic and interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Americas. fiar is a peer-reviewed online journal. Articles in this journal undergo a double-blind review process and are published in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

The mobility regimes in which migratory careers of highly educated women are embedded have a high impact on the invisible sway between privileges and vulnerabilities in situated socio-political contexts. Between 1960s and 1990s, highly educated women began moving on their own, but, despite their qualifications, they nonetheless faced big challenges, some of which have not completely disappeared. Are highly educated migrant women really privileged? This book explores the empirical dilemma between privileges and vulnerability in the framework of conceptual transformations of the highly skilled migration and human mobility in history from the post-industrial era to the present. The book’s subject matter shows an existing sway between privileges and vulnerability in the construction process of the “migratory careers” of highly educated women, which depends on the articulation of macro, meso and micro factors and driving women historically to shape heterogeneous readaptation responses in different geo-political contexts. The case study of the Basque Country in Spain is presented as emblematic reflection of the global economy conformation. The history explored from a gender perspective shows that a critical understanding of the structures of opportunities and constraints influencing women’s mobility is relevant to overcome stereotypes and generate gender-sensitive policies for the socio-economic inclusion of more vulnerable groups.

In Pura vida (Life is good)Spanish is more than vocabulary and grammar, just as Spanish-speaking cultures are more than products and practices. In this learner-centered introductory program, the authors’ commitment to a methodology based on true-to-life experiences brings Spanish to life. Pura vida is the discovery of a Spanish-speaking world through the experiences of real people who share anecdotes and reflections on those experiences. Students relate to these people and make deeper, more meaningful connections between language and culture, and acquire Spanish with an unparalleled sense of personal engagement. In this 12-chapter introductory program, students don’t only learn Spanish for real life, but also from real life. They discover that there is not just one homogeneous Hispanic culture, but rather that each Spanish-speaking country has its own rich, unique culture and that the people who live in these countries speak one common language with different accents, characteristics, and idiosyncrasies. The program offers truly seamless integration of cultural notions and language instruction and features 100% contextualized and personalized activities.