Eliseo Jacob

"Masculinidades Marginales" uses the theoretical framework of counterpublics to analyze contemporary Latin American literature with a focus on masculinity and race in urban settings. This study of literature in contemporary Latin American cities examines how writers from marginalized communities represent the reterritorialization of urban spaces as a response to racial and social inequality, and it looks at the ways in which literary productions facilitate the circulation of discourses that give voice to alternative publics. More broadly, these fictional narratives reflect larger social trends of the 21st century in which the citizenship and the humanity of BIPOC urban male youth are increasingly debated in the public sphere.

This digital humanities project complements Dr. Eliseo Jacob's ongoing research on literary and cultural representations of race and identity within the context of urban space. It interrogates the dynamic relationships between race, space, and citizenship, and it uses the Scalar digital platform to create an interactive, multimodal site for users to better understand the role of the arts as a form of community engagement in addressing anti-Black state violence and preserving cultural practices in the working class, outskirt communities of São Paulo, Brazil. The bilingual Scalar sites—English and Portuguese—will serve as a resource not only for university courses, but for education and arts programs in these local communities. The foundation for this project came about as a result of field research completed through the US Fulbright Scholar Program in São Paulo, Brazil during the summer of 2022 and participation in the Black Book Interactive Project's initiative in digital publishing.