Episode 138 with Dr. Miguel Valerio, Brilliant Researcher and Student of Language, Philosophy, History, and author of Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640

Episode 138 Notes and Links to Dr. Miguel Valerio’s Work 

 

    On Episode 138 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Dr. Miguel Valerio, and the two discuss, among other topics, Miguel’s love of languages and his multilingualism, his early reading and reading that informed his career path, the process of writing for academia, and themes and salient issues revolving around the African diaspora and the great joys and festivities that came even in the midst of great hardship and dehumanizing treatment and racism.

    

    Prof. Valerio is a scholar of the African diaspora in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. He teaches courses in Afro-colonial culture and contemporary Afro-Latin American literature and culture. His research has focused on black Catholic brotherhoods or confraternities and Afro-creole festive practices in colonial Latin America, especially Mexico and Brazil. His research has appeared in various academic journals, including Slavery and Abolition, Colonial Latin American Review, The Americas, and The Journal of Festive Studies. He is the author of Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640 (Cambridge University Press, 2022) and a co-editor of Indigenous and Black Confraternities in Colonial Latin America: Negotiating Status through Religious Practices (Amsterdam University Press, 2022).

 

Miguel Valerio's Faculty Website

 

Buy Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640

 

“Studying Genealogies of Black Sovereignty and Joy" by Miguel Valerio for Cambridge University Press' "Fifteen Eighty Four" 

 

 

At about 2:10, Miguel talks about growing up in the Dominican Republic and his relationship with languages and the brain’s development when one is multilingual

 

At about 4:50, Miguel talks about Ruben Dario and how reading his work “ruined” Miguel

 

At about 7:00, Miguel responds to Pete’s question about his formal/school reading lists and how he was drawn to language, literature, and graduate studies 

 

At about 9:15, Miguel discusses the progression of his learning of multiple languages and any confusion that may come up with being multilingual

 

At about 11:10, Miguel explains the ways in which Caribbean/Dominican Republic Spanish is and has been viewed with the world of academics and within the field of social linguistics 

 

At about 13:50, the two outline ideas of formality and informality within the Spanish-speaking world

 

At about 15:20, Pete wonders about ideas of representation in what Miguel read growing up and the two discuss Marquez and fanboy over Marquez’s work

 

At about 18:30, Miguel details his path to academia/masters program

 

At about 20:35, Miguel gives background on his upcoming book

 

At about 22:15, Pete and Miguel explore connections to the powerful Preface of his book, a response to Imani Perry’s moving piece about joy from June 2020 in The Atlantic 

 

At about 27:55, Chapter Two and ideas of colonial paranoia over African collectivism is discussed 

 

At about 28:55, Pete cites a beautifully-written thesis of the book and the two discuss ideas of “exotic genre” and how Miguel filled in gaps in the historical record

 

At about 29:45, Miguel narrows down definitions of “festive” as used in the book

 

At about 33:30, Miguel gives historical background on groups from the African diaspora and their movement within México in colonial times

 

At about 38:25-39:57, Pete references his conversation with Vanessa Angelica Villarreal and this leads to discussion of the Vasconcelos’ quote that Mexicans are of a “raza cosmica.” 

 

At about 40:00, Miguel responds to Pete’s questions about “creolization” and the caste system imposed in colonial México; Miguel mentions a great read-Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico

 

At about 45:20, Miguel discusses the cofradias and their works, as well as performances and their motives

 

At about 50:40, Pete asks Miguel if there were any figures who Miguel wishes he could have found more information on; Miguel cites Francisco Loya, Martin, Juan Bautista (two Juan Bautistas) 

 

At about 53:00, Miguel outlines the process in writing a book for the academic world 

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    Please tune in for Episode 139 with Felicia E. Taylor. She is an impressive creative who is an Author/PoetActress/Comic/Mom "Southern Spiced: A Brown Girl's Tale" is her first book of Poetry.

    The episode will air on August 23.