CLASS lecture, author releases new book: The Transnational “Good Life”
The Transnational "Good Life" Ecuadorian Social Clubs as Spaces of Resistance, is the latest published work of Anthropology and Geography lecturer Linda Hall. Hall's inspiration for the book stems from the friendships she made throughout her education with Ecuadorians studying in the United States. The interest deepened as she began to learn more about their lived experiences.
The book is based on Hall's research on "social organizations created by Ecuadorian immigrants in politically contested public spaces within three U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City.
"I viewed Ecuadorian migration through the lens of classic Afro American ideas about solidarity – forming a sense of belonging and double identity – a concept advanced by W.E.B DuBois. I am a member of a diasporic population and share this identity with Latinx migrants – we just started our journey from different points on the globe," Hall explained.
"The book promotes a departure from dark ethnography – studies about hardship and failure. This book highlights the positive and how important it is to cling to a sense of who you are," said Hall.
The book dives into the importance of holding onto cultural values while finding a balance within a new world and its own beliefs. "The family structures that come forward in the book are much like any other you'd find in the U.S. Their love of Ecuador and acute awareness of what it means to be a part of the U.S. tapestry when naturalization is a slippery slope are important topics of discussion during these times in our history," Hall continued.
Hall is not slowing down in the research arena. Hall is currently working on two research projects.
"My friends and family want me to do a second memoir – this is the advantage of living a long time. But I’m working on two projects that are actually ongoing ethnographic studies and developing research papers. One examines the impact of the coronavirus on a group of my former students at CPP and the other is related to the creation with a group of dedicated senior faculty of a non-profit virtual mentoring project."
Hall's other published work includes a memoir Three Rivers Crossed. Hall is a lecturer for the Anthropology and Geography Department in the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona.
