Linguistic Labor and Literary Doulas

In this ambitious and powerfully argued study, Remy Attig marshals his extensive research to introduce revelatory ways of approaching Spanglish, Portuñol, and Judeo-Spanish history, structure, and literature. Drawing from contemporary theories such as post-structuralism and queer theory, and introducing productive concepts such as linguistic labor and literary doulas, Attig deepens our appreciation of these fascinating and much maligned language varieties. This beautifully written book is a must-read for sociolinguists, literary theorists, translation scholars, as well as anyone interested in decolonizing hierarchical understandings of language. * Lourdes Torres, Vincent de Paul Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, DePaul University, USA * When your experiences of yourself and your world involve two languages constantly flowing near and through each other, like ink colors floating in a viscous solution, capturing your ideas in written prose might be akin to producing marbled paper. With well-selected details, contagious enthusiasm, and engaging prose, Attig shows us the results of three such types of literature – written in Spanglish, Portuñol, and Judeo-Spanish – as well as why these texts are transgressive, the anticolonial nature of their publication, and the challenges involved in translating their inherent rebelliousness. A deeply enjoyable and informative read. * Kim Potowski, Professor of Spanish, The University of Illinois at Chicago, USA *