https://doi.org/10.1177/0921374018804270 Cultural Dynamics 2019, Vol. 31(1-2) 35–49 © The Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0921374018804270 journals.sagepub.com/home/cdy https://doi.org/10.1177/0921374018804270 Cultural Dynamics 2019, Vol. 31(1-2) 35–49 © The Author(s) 2018 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0921374018804270 journals.sagepub.com/home/cdy Global Latin(X) AmericanXs: Charting new ontological and epistemological cartographies beyond US LatinX studies Mark Overmyer-Velázquez University of Connecticut, USA Abstract This article examines how situating our academic inquiry from geographic vantage points outside of the United States allows scholars to recast epistemological and ontological assumptions in the field of US Latina/o Studies. It asks how, from a global reorientation of the cognitive map of US Latina/o Studies, we might reconsider the experience of the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora and the notion of Latinidad in places such as Jordan, Spain, and Canada. This analysis places Latina/o Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Studies into conversation by reconsidering their status as traditionally isolated epistemic sites of US ethnic and area studies. In addition, it explores how new “Latino” and diasporic identities are forged through hybrid ethnic interactions among minoritized populations in the Global South. Keywords diasporic identities, global Latin(X) AmericanXs, Latin American Studies, Latina/o Studies, Latinidades Introduction As we passed the sweet kanafeh around the table for dessert, the assorted dinner guests shared their experiences of being “Latino” in Amman, Jordan. It was June 2013, and I was visiting the University of Jordan for the first time to support their work in estab- lishing a new Center for Latin American Studies. Referring to themselves as “Latinos,” the guests included members of the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora, some of Arab decent, from Colombia, Chile and the Dominican Republic. Our conversation shifted from how to advance research and teaching at the newly launched Center, the first center of its kind in the Arab world, to a discussion of global Latinidades. 1 The local negotiation, redefinition and “Latino” self-identification of members of the Latin Corresponding author: Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, University of Connecticut-Hartford, 10 Prospect Street, Hartford, CT 06103, USA. Email: mark.Velázquez@uconn.edu 804270CDY 0 0 10.1177/0921374018804270Cultural DynamicsOvermyer-Velazquez research-article 2018 Article