UCLA

This dissertation addresses the complexities of migration and memory-making among diasporic communities forcibly displaced from their homelands due to political instability and capitalist-induced climate disasters. By incorporating visual art productions, I examine how material culture maintains a collective living memory of resistance among the Central American and Caribbean diasporas as well as international solidarity communities. Overall, I argue that socially engaged forms of Central American and Caribbean diasporic art productions contribute to global anti-colonial struggles through the solidarity aesthetics and practices that raise critical awareness of ongoing human rights atrocities. The specific mediums utilized in this study are muralism, hip-hop, testimonial poetry, and performance art. Oral histories are the primary methodological tools used to capture particularities and commonalities among arts practitioners. Self-taught, professionally trained, and interdisciplinary artists are highlighted in this work to address concepts such as cultural memory, performance, and diasporic imaginaries. The methodological approach of oral histories complements investigations in cultural memory since testimonies shed light on untold stories. The substantive content of each testimony of the socially engaged artists highlights the creative tools utilized to preserve a collective memory of resistance that actively supports global solidarity efforts. As socially engaged art forms, the creative productions examined throughout my dissertation reflect the methodologies of Central American and Caribbean Studies by foregrounding diverse perspectives to provide a social analysis of the lived realities in the region and diasporas. My research is rooted in broader Ethnic Studies and creates a dialogue between various academic cannons through an interdisciplinary approach among the humanities and social sciences. By taking an arts and internationalist approach to U.S.-based Ethnic Studies, I expand the scope of the field to allow for diverse perspectives that are not confined to geopolitical borders or academic disciplines. The art practices highlighted throughout this work expand counter-hegemonic narratives through a process of memory-making and knowledge production dedicated to intracommunal solidarity. Not just depicting the injustices of forced displacement, this dissertation also highlights the resilience of valiant people confronting state-sponsored violence and climate disasters.