Interview with Dr. Jesse Aleman

In this episode of Generation Justice, host Tori interviews Dr. Jesse Aleman, a professor of English and presidential teaching fellow at the University of New Mexico, about his groundbreaking book *Latinx Civil Wars: The Formation of Latinidad in an Age of Revolution and Rebellion*. Dr. Aleman traces the overlooked involvement of Mexican-Americans and Cuban-Americans in the U.S. Civil War, revealing how their personal, political, and linguistic struggles mirrored the broader conflicts of the era. Drawing on archival research—much of it made accessible during the pandemic through digitized collections—he uncovers stories of Latinx individuals who participated in or wrote about the war, often caught between national identities, racial formations, and the complex realities of slavery. The conversation expands beyond history to explore how these 19th-century conflicts echo in today’s political debates around border policy, Cuba, and identity formation, urging a rethinking of civil war not just as a military conflict but as a deeply personal and collective struggle. Dr. Aleman emphasizes that the formation of Latinidad was not a seamless process but one marked by internal and external 'wars'—between languages, loyalties, and self-perceptions. He highlights the surprising extent to which many Latinx participants were invested in maintaining systems of enslavement, challenging simplistic narratives of solidarity. The episode closes with a powerful reflection on the time, labor, and collective effort behind scholarly work, as well as a call to recognize the hidden histories that shape identity. The book signing event at UNM is promoted as a unique opportunity to engage with the raw archival materials that underpin the research.