Caudal: Puerto Rican and Dominican Dialogues on Feminism and Queerness
Location: The Silberman School of Social Work
Event Organizer: Center for Puerto Rican Studies
Cost: Free
December 13 @ 3:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST
Join CENTRO December 13th for a panel discussion and celebration of a very special issue of the Summer 2024 CENTRO Journal, titled “Caudal: Contemporary Feminist & Queer Perspectives on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.” This journal focuses on contemporary feminist and queer/cuir perspectives of cultural, social, and political phenomena from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and their global diasporas.
The writers of this issue “rock the boat” of national insularity to highlight the region’s deep connective tissues. In examining Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, this issue refuses to pick from here nor there, and instead brings together feminist and queer approaches to spotlight our practices of joy, resistance, and survival in the face of racist, patriarchal, capitalist, misogynist, homophobic and transphobic Caribbean politics and maneuvers in the 21st century.
Photo Credit: Fue esa la vía, Helen Ceballos, 2020.
Agenda
Caribe Cuir [Leisure Space] by Circuito Queer
3:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Hunter East Harlem Gallery
The Hunter East Harlem Gallery opens up a tranquil space to relish on recent depictions of Caribbean cuir lives. The project Caribe Cuir: Las Casas de Ballroom will premiere showing 6 short films about the development of the Caribbean Kiki scene in both DR and PR by documenting local kinship formations. Come learn about the foundation of these houses: House of Goddesses, Jaus of Pons, Laboratoria Boricua del Vogue, House of Soul, Casa Atón, and Draguéalo.
This project is brought together by @cirqpr, an organization that promotes strategic collaborations between activist and cultural initiatives headed by feminist and LGBTQIA+ and cuir leaders in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
CAUDAL [Roundtable] : Puerto Rican and Dominican Dialogues on Feminism and Queerness
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Silberman Room 115AB
Special issue editors Dr. Celiany Rivera Velázquez and Dr. Carlos Ulises Decena initiate a roundtable discussion with a live reading of excerpts from the issue’s introduction to highlight its intentions, uniqueness and impact. Field expert Zaire Dinzey-Flores (Rutgers), as invited responders to the issue, will share their reflections.
The space will have a water-themed installations by artist Helen Ceballos.
Caudalosxs [the Reception]
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Silberman Lobby
After delving in the waters of Caudal, we invite participants to let loose and dance to a performance by the queer and trans salsa band Las Mariquitas over some food and drinks to cheer the night and the semester away. The Hunter East Harlem Gallery will remain open through the night for folks to continue to enjoy the Caribbean Kiki [Lounge Space] and read a bit of the special issue before purchasing your own copy. Within the same space, immerse yourself in Circuito Queer’s Las Casas de Ballroom, a 6 part social media series to come out in 2025 about ballroom culture’s family formation on both islands. There will be 3 short documentaries about houses in DR (House of Soul, Casa Atón, and Draguéalo) and 3 short documentaries about houses in Puerto Rico (House of Goddesses, Jaus of Pons, Laboratoria Boricua del Vogue). These will play in the gallery’s video nook.
This event is made possible with the support of Rutgers University, Circuito Queer, and the Latinx Project at NYU.