Lawrence Today magazine, Fall 2004
Gustavo
Fares, associate professor of Spanish, returned to his homeland
of Argentina this summer, courtesy of a $10,000 Fulbright Scholar Program
grant.
Beginning in mid-July, he spent ten weeks teaching the graduate-level course Hispanic
Identities in the United States at the National University of Cuyo
in Mendoza, Argentina.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Fares spent the first 27 years of his
life in Argentina, before coming to the United States in 1985 to pursue
graduate
studies.
“As soon as I entered the United States, I was classified as a ‘minority’ and
as ‘Hispanic,’” Fares says. “I have always been interested
in those labels. They did not characterize me in my native Argentina but
were applied to me here precisely because of my origin.”
In his course, Fares examined the identities of Hispanic communities in
the United States and how those identities are understood outside the U.S.,
focusing
on their history and the ways in which they are depicted in films, literature,
and the visual arts, as well as the role those
representations play in the political arena.
“The changes brought about by globalization have had profound effects on
the identity of nations and peoples throughout the world,” he says. “As
a result, what it means to be Hispanic in the United States has come into
question, as this sector of society struggles to become part of the mainstream
while
still retaining the traits and characteristics that define them.
"I expect that my Lawrence students will benefit from my experience
teaching abroad, given the updated perspective from Argentina I will be able
to provide,” Fares
adds. “In
my role as an advisor, I will be able to better explain to those who are
interested in studying in
Argentina that country’s educational system and the best ways to benefit
from it. During my stay, I established relationships with the host institution
of our study
program in Argentina that will develop into long-term projects for
exchanging information, students, and faculty in the years to come.”
A scholar of Argentinean literature and Latin American art, Fares joined
the Lawrence Spanish department in 2000
after teaching for 11 years at Lynchburg College in Virginia. He earned
a
law degree at the University of Buenos Aires and spent two years in private
practice
before pursuing a graduate degree in painting, drawing, and art history
at the Ernesto de la Cárcova Superior School of Fine Arts in Argentina.
After coming to the United States, Fares earned a master’s degree in
foreign language and literature and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting
and printmaking from West Virginia University. He earned his Ph.D. in Latin
American literature and cultural studies from the University of Pittsburgh.