Editor's foreword.
Hellman, Judith Adler
The publication of this double issue has given me the opportunity to end my term as editor of the Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies with the fulfillment of a hope that I had harboured since taking over, seven issues ago: the production of a thematic volume dedicated to international migration in the Americas. While the subject has been an increasing focus of my own work, I would have been very hesitant to attempt to assemble a collection on this scale had I not managed to persuade my good friend and colleague, Luin Goldring, to join me as guest co-editor. As many readers will know, Luin has long been established as an internationally recognized expert in the field and, in collaboration, we were able to bring together a remarkable group of authors, many of whom have never published before in Canada.
Working from a Canadian vantage point enabled us to present research that highlights the distinctions between Canada and the United States in both immigration policy and process, uncovering some of the key differences in the two destinations as receiving societies. Moreover, the articles in this volume provide insights into the experiences of migrants who come to North America from a wide range of different sending societies, and they also explore the impact of out-migration on the places and people left behind.
In line with our particular emphasis on identifying the ambiguities, subtleties, and surprises of the transnational migratory experience, our cover photo for this issue is not, as readers might have expected, a picture of a Mexican or Central American scaling the fence that separates San Ysidro, California, from Tijuana, Baja California, or marching across the Arizona-Sonora desert. Rather we feature two "return migrants," Samuel and Gabriel, born in Jacoby Hospital in the Bronx in January 2001, and now resident in their parents' village, Zapotitlan Salinas in the State of Puebla. The photo, taken by a zapotiteca highschool student, Matilde Rodriguez Gonzalez, shows the twins in the atrium of the village church, recently reconstructed with the "collective remittances" of their parents and other migrants from Zapotitlan to New York City.
In addition to the main body of scholarly articles in this issue, we also present to readers an enlarged book review section, two review essays, and a research note--all features that we have been dedicated to making a regular part of the journal since CJLACS moved to York's Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC) in 2001. Indeed, building on the growth of subscriptions and the strong intellectual and financial foundation provided to CJLACS by my predecessor, Ted Hewitt, the journal has, since 2001, acquired a new "look," the issues have expanded in size, and manuscript submissions, which come to us from all over the world, have increased four-fold. Moreover, we already have some articles in French, Spanish, and English accepted for the next issue (Volume 30, No. 59), and work on Volume 30, No. 60, a thematic issue on Brazil co-edited by Jean Daudelin of Carleton University and Ted Hewitt of University of Western Ontario, is also underway. Naturally, we invite submissions for this issue on Brazil--as always--from any disciplinary perspective in the humanities and social sciences and in any of our four languages of publication.
In the course of my work as editor of this journal, I have come to forgive e-mail almost all of its irritating and intrusive qualities because electronic communication has made possible some of the most productive and satisfying collaborative relationships I have ever enjoyed, permitting me to work with regular and guest co-editors located from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. Patricia Chuchryk has been the most energetic book review editor imaginable, carrying out extended exchanges with publishers and reviewers in the interest of offering readers the widest possible range of titles, reviewed by the most capable scholars in each field. It should be noted, as well, that Patricia has been supported in her work on the journal by a grant from the Faculty of Arts and Science of the University of Lethbridge where she teaches in the Department of Sociology.
Ted Hewitt's willingness to stay on as managing editor after stepping down from the journal editorship has seemed to me nothing short of remarkable, and his generosity in playing this role has made all the difference in my ability to carry out the job I do. Yvon Grenier, another former editor of the journal, has worked as French co-editor, enthusiastically receiving and processing all French-language manuscripts as well as handling all the publicity for the journal. The degree to which I came to rely on the commitment, good advice, and moral support of these three wonderful colleagues cannot be overstated.
In addition to these co-editors and the hardworking members of the Editorial Board, other colleagues, closer to hand, played a crucial role through their support for the journal. In this respect I want to mention Viviana Patroni, Director of CERLAC, who brought the journal to York University and worked with great energy as an editorial board member and guest editor, giving abundant encouragement at every turn. Stan Shapson, Vice-President for Research and Innovation, and John Lennox, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, provided the financial and human resources that underpinned our efforts. Ricardo Grinspun, former Director and more recently Acting Director of CERLAC, was unwavering in his enthusiasm for hosting the journal. And Marshall Beck, the Administrator of CERLAC, supported the journal in a hundred different ways that ranged from the design and production of the new cover, to carrying out the work of the graduate assistant over the summer break, and--perhaps most important--allowing me to seize a manuscript from his desk drawer to send out for review and, ultimately, to publish in the first issue of the journal we produced at York.
The journal and its editor have also been blessed with three outstanding graduate assistants: Scott Pearce, who organized the office operations, Krista Mussell, and Jen Costanza, who is still hard at work. Annemarie Gallaugher began as one of the journal's book reviewers, but has subsequently been swept up in the work of editing and production. Josette Davenport, Paula Hevia, and Leandro Vergara Camus have all contributed translations into French. Roma Quapp and, more recently, Eileen Eckert have copyedited with great skill and patience. And very special thanks are due to Judy Powell of the University of Calgary Press who has done so much to make this long-distance relationship a great success from our point of view. In addition, Judy's colleague, Larie Stoley, has helped us with graphics and many other technical challenges.
Having enjoyed my work as editor far more than I could ever have imagined, I would feel very sad to come to the end of this gratifying experience were it not the case that my responsibilities will now pass to an exceptionally talented and enthusiastic colleague, Professor Victor Armony of the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM). Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Victor earned his Master's and PhD degrees at UQAM, held research fellowships at the University of British Columbia and at the Fernand Braudel Institute at the State University of New York in Binghamton, and has taught at, in addition to UQAM, the University of Ottawa, University of Buenos Aires, and the International University of Andalucia. He brings to the editorship full trilingualism and, of course, reading knowledge of Portuguese, as well as an interdisciplinary grounding in both the social sciences and the humanities. His editorship will be supported by UQAM's Institut d'Etudes Internationales de Montreal. I know that all of us who have been associated with the journal are delighted that Victor has been willing to take on this task, and we wish him the very best in his work as editor of CJLACS.
JUDITH ADLER HELLMAN
Editor, CJLACS
