Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Maryland, College Park

Another great talk at 👏 This plenary talk by HAL graduate Ana Lucía Cuevas Albarrán explored how linguistic ideologies around English–Spanish bilingualism show up on TikTok, often in subtle, multimodal ways through gestures, sound, and facial expressions. While most ideologies are expressed verbally, nonverbal cues often carry more negative or counter-dominant messages. Really interesting implications for how we think about language teaching materials in a digital age.

Morning sessions at wrapped up with a fantastic student panel covering dialectal diversity, multimodal strategies, and Spanish writing courses for Deaf students.

We’ll be back at 2 PM EST for the next plenary, looking forward to continuing the conversation.

is going strong! We kicked off the morning with a great Language in Context panel featuring student presenters from Universidad de Navarra, University of Maryland, and Universidad de Valencia—so many interesting ideas and perspectives in one session.

Carnaval 2026: Get ready for an unforgettable day packed with music, vibrant dance, a captivating Mask decoration workshop, insightful reflections, delicious snacks, refreshing beverages and an epic party atmosphere! Dive into the heart of this celebration and immerse yourself in the rich cultural traditions that make it truly special. Don’t miss out—this is an experience you’ll want to be part of!

Dear SPAP Community,

We’re glad to share with you all our Spring 2026 calendar of cultural activities.

Please take note of the following upcoming events and remember to click on the links provided in the Flyer, to know more about the specific events.

February 26/ starts at 9:00 am/ JMZ 2215

SPAP Undergraduate Open House

March 4/ 3:00 - 4:30 pm/ JMZ 1205

“Absence: Spectral Architectures in Mexico (and Beyond)”, talk by Dr. Ángel Díaz Miranda

February 19/ 5:00 - 7:00 pm/ JMZ 2207

Dr. Angharad N. Valdivia (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

will discuss Latina Media Studies, its relationship to mainstream media, and “Father of the Bride” (ZOOM)

February 24/ starts at 11:00 am - 5:00 pm/ St. Mary´s Hall

Carnaval 2026

Best.

We invite you to join us this Wednesday, February 11th from 2-4:30 pm in JMZ 1205 for our event:

El centenario de Ángel Rama: El legado de un intelectual “subversivo” en UMD

The event centers on the life and legacy of Ángel Rama (1926–1983), a professor who worked in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Maryland from 1979 until his tragic death in a plane crash in 1983. His intellectual contributions—including the theory of transculturation, his work as a literary critic, and landmark texts such as The Lettered City—established him as a monumental figure in Latin American literary studies.

Despite earning tenure, he was never granted legal residency in the United States. Labeled a “subversive” by the U.S. government, a term used to imply communist sympathies, he found himself entangled in a Kafkaesque ordeal, forced to defend himself against accusations that were never fully disclosed. The alleged evidence against him was classified, leaving Rama unable to challenge or even fully understand the case the federal authorities had constructed.

Rama’s scholarship remains vital and widely cited, and his unjust treatment at the hands of U.S. immigration authorities continues to resonate today.

Panelists:
Ramiro Caces Barbosa, UMD
Facundo Gómez, CHI (UNQUI) - CONICET
Maya Labarca, UMD
Thayse Lima, UMD
Saúl Sosnowski, UMD

We look forward to seeing you there!

TODAY ➡️: On behalf of the Department of French and Italian, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the entire School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Maryland, it is my pleasure to invite you to a truly unique event we are hosting.

On Thursday, February 5, from 4-6pm, we will welcome award winning documentary filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu for a screening of his film We Were Here: The Untold Story of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe. The film brings to light the often-overlooked presence of African and Black individuals in Renaissance Europe, examining how they were depicted in some of the era’s most celebrated works of art and questioning long-held assumptions about race, status and representation in European history.
Through a compelling blend of archival research, expert commentary, and close visual analysis of Renaissance paintings and sculpture, We Were Here offers a critical reexamination of European art history and its cultural legacy. The documentary features insights from leading scholars in art history, Black studies and history, alongside curators and cultural activists, creating a layered and interdisciplinary perspective on a neglected chapter of the past.

Following the screening, guests are invited to attend a reception and participate in a filmmaker-led discussion and Q&A with Fred Kudjo Kuwornu. This event provides a unique opportunity to engage with the film’s themes, explore the research and creative process behind the project, and reflect on the broader questions of race, identity, and historical memory raised by the documentary.

We warmly invite you to join us for this event and extend the invitation to your wider circles. The talk will be held in the Language House Multipurpose Room in St.Mary’s Hall (enter on the patio side facing the library). Parking in numbered campus lots is typically free after 4 (make sure to check signs), or you can park in the Union Lane Garage across the street from St. Mary’s.

EVENT: Ana Patricia Rodríguez - Avocado Dreams: Remaking Salvadoran Life and Art in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area - with Dr. Sheri Parks— at Union Market.

🗓️ Date: Sat, 2/7/2026

⏰ Time: 6:00pm

📍Place: Politics and Prose at Union Market (1324 4th Street NE)
1324 4th Street NE Washington, DC 20002

In Avocado Dreams, Ana Patricia Rodríguez draws from her own positionality as a Salvadoran transplant to examine the construction of the unique Salvadoran cultural imaginary made in the greater D.C. area. Through a careful reading of the creative works of local writers, performers, artists, and artivists, Rodríguez demonstrates how the people have remade themselves in relation to the cultural, ethnoracial, and sociolinguistic diversity of the area. She discusses how Salvadoran people have developed unique, intergenerational Salvadoreñidades, manifested in particular speech and symbolic acts, ethnoracial embodiments, and local identity formations in relation to the diverse communities, most notably Black Washingtonians, who co-inhabit the region.

Spanish Spring 2026 course offerings (400 level and graduate courses) 🌸

Lecture Series on Colonial Interventions: “El códice Ramírez: los enigmas de su escritura”
Por Clementina Battcock.

Organiza: Alejandro Cañeque, Eyda Merediz y Miguel Valerio.

Presentadora: Clementina Battcock, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), México.

Interlocutora: Laura Filloy Nadal, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET).

Thursday, December 4th.
6:30 pm.
Instituto Cultural Mexicano