Revolutionary Currents

David Spener is professor of sociology and anthropology at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He is the author of numerous articles and books in the areas of border and migration studies and the role played by music in social justice movements in the Americas.

"This book is a wonderfully rich account of the untold story of how Chicanx cultural workers utilized art to express solidarity with the Chilean Left during and after the overthrow of Salvador Allende. Spener's nuanced exploration of internationalism is a timely reminder of the power of artistic expression—of poetry, music, and theater—for confronting authoritarianism. A truly stimulating interpretation of how to think about cultural production and international solidarity."—Steve Striffler, author of Solidarity: Latin America and the US Left in the Era of Human Rights"This scholarly case study describes how Chicanx cultural workers—artists, poets, writers, and musicians—embraced the Chilean resistance in exile in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1970s and 1980s. Based on extensive interviews, Spener captures a sense of the solidarity that gave rise to internationalist versions of 'raza' and 'Third World' identities."—David Montejano, author of Quixote's Soldiers: A Local History of the Chicano Movement, 1966–1981"In Revolutionary Currents, David Spener shows why he is one of the foremost scholars on transnational solidarities. In tracing the poetics and politics of Chicanx cultural workers in their sympathies with the Chilean cause, Spener makes clear that imaginative interconnections became crucial for political and ideological commitments to creating a more just world. Revolutionary Currents is essential in understanding the global dimensions of the Chicano Movement."—Aaron E. Sánchez, author of Homeland: Ethnic Mexican Belonging Since 1900