June 25, 2014

Interview with Chris Larkosh

An Assistant Professor in the Department of Portuguese at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Christopher Larkosh specializes in Lusophone and comparative literatures, literary and cultural theory, translation studies, and studies in ethnicity, migration and citizenship. He also directs the UMass-Dartmouth Summer Program in Portuguese. Recently published essays and articles include "Translating Multilingual Life" (Flusser Studies 7, 2008), “Allophone Presences: In the ‘Here-and-Now’ of the Humanities” (UMass-Dartmouth, 2007), as well as other articles in TTR, TOPIA, Contemporary French & Francophone Studies/Sites, Portuguese Literary & Cultural Studies, Social Dynamics and The Translator. He regularly presents his works at international conferences in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, and is presently writing a book on Lusophone diaspora cultures.

Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Portuguese, UMass Dartmouth

Present research interests: comparative literatures and cultures (Lusophone World, Latin America, Québec, Italy/Central Europe, Global South); literary and cultural theory; translation studies; bi- and multilingualism; gender studies; studies in ethnicity and migration.

GT Questions for Chris Larkosh

• Tell us about your childhood on Martha’s Vineyard.  How did you parents influence, or not influence, your life’s direction?
• Where you exposed to other cultures on Martha’s Vineyard?
•  What made you study at Vassar and UC Berkeley? Tell us about those impressionable (I assume) years especially on the UC Berkeley campus.  What made you pursue a career in academia and your particular field?
•  Did living in the SF Bay Area influence your thinking and philosophy?
•  As a tenured professor at the UMass @ Dartmouth please tell us about your expertise in the Portuguese language and your interests in multi-lingual education and cultural awareness.
•  You have written several publications including “Translations and Other Cases of Multiple Identity.” (Contemporary French and Francophone Studies/Sites re:  Quebec), “Translating Multilingual Life.”, “The Translator’s Closet: Editing Sexualities in Argentine Literary Culture”, “Forms of A-Dress: Performances of the Foreign and S-Other-n Flows of Transnational Identity”, “Oceanic Worlds/Bordered Worlds.” And other writings on translation.  Can you tell us about your interest in these subjects related to translation?
• Can you tell us about your role as editor for the publication on Re-engendering translation”?  What did this project involve?
•  Another of your interests is ”alterity” (otherness,  the process becoming altern, by being misunderstood as different from a dominant view, due to race, class, gender, ethnicity and other defining trait”).  Please explain generally to the listeners what this means from your perspectives and interests. How does your interest in translations, and language relate to the study of alterity?
• How can these findings and information be shared with those of us not in the academic community?
• Let’s talk about your recent travels.  Where have you been these last months?