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Diversifying Shakespeare
Author(s) -
Espinosa Ruben
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
literature compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.158
H-Index - 4
ISSN - 1741-4113
DOI - 10.1111/lic3.12303
Subject(s) - scholarship , race (biology) , ethnic group , diversification (marketing strategy) , sociology , conversation , identity (music) , immigration , aesthetics , gender studies , history , anthropology , political science , art , law , communication , archaeology , marketing , business
Critical race studies in Shakespeare have generated a vital body of scholarship that affords us deeper insight both to racial formations in early modern England and to the way contemporary understandings of racial difference infuse Shakespeare with a culturally relevant currency. However, critical race studies remain relatively marginalized within the broader field of Shakespeare studies. This essay reviews and underscores the scholarship that has kindled an important conversation about race in Shakespeare in an attempt to bring it to the fore, and it draws attention to the promise behind ethnic studies—with particular attention to Latino and Latina identity—within the field of Shakespeare studies. Scholarship that emphasizes the role of race, language, cultural identity, assimilation, and immigration in early modern literature and culture is making an impact on ethnic studies in Shakespeare, but ample room remains for us to diversify our field. This essay ultimately calls for Shakespeare and early modern scholars to encourage future research and pedagogical practices where the diversification of Shakespeare studies, and the Shakespeare academy, can materialize.