While recent scholarship in the Latinx nineteenth century has emphasized the print culture processes informing Spanish-language textual production, the field has also been energized by a focus on prominent authors. This article traces the tension between emphasizing a representative subject (author) versus the way print culture provides insight into lived experiences in sociopolitical contexts. The piece turns to debates over the novel Jicotencal and the attraction of Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton and José Marti as representative figures to trace scholarly developments over the last two decades. Looking toward future directions, the chapter envisions ongoing attention to archival holdings and intersections with critical projects such as queer and Indigenous studies. The last section emphasizes the importance of translation for research in the Latinx nineteenth century.

A large amount of Latin American popular, folk, and art music circulated in the United States during the twentieth century. It was not just popular music composers that had dialogue with it; classically trained composers such as Leonard Bernstein also did. However, more than the music tradition that Bernstein absorbed into his compositional language in works such as On the Town (1944) and West Side Story (1957), this chapter argues that Latin American music also served as a medium to express Bernstein’s ideas and feelings about the US socio-political and cultural landscape. Furthermore, the chapter shows that Bernstein’s dialogue and collaboration with Latin American composers at the Tanglewood Music Festival, conducting the New York Philharmonic during the Latin American tour (1958), and performing Latin American music works at the Young People’s Concerts (1958−72), all contributed to and enhanced his vision as a cultural broker.