Family, Friends and Foes

Jigsaw puzzles’ notorious complexity and mega-multiple, amorphously-shaped pieces provide an appropriate metaphor for the navigating and maneuvering necessary throughout all aspects of human dynamics. Involvement comprises not only efforts by an individual personally trying to fit together a life of relationships with Family, Friends & Foes within complex categories and different levels, but the efforts by groups of individuals within those categories, progressively, by those groups within a larger society and/or societies, and then, across so many so-called boundaries: geographic, ethnic, linguistic, artistic, and more. Such is the starting point for this particular collection of essays, which focuses on the human dynamics in cultures characterized, mostly linguistically, as Hispanic worlds, and those cultures both in real life and in terms of cultural productions such as movies, visual art and literature.

Complexitatea notorie a puzzle-urilor si piesele mega-multiple, in forma de amorf, ofera o metafora adecvata pentru navigare si manevrare necesare in toate aspectele dinamicii umane. Implicarea cuprinde nu numai eforturile unui individ care incearca personal sa se potriveasca unei vieti de relatii cu familia, prietenii si dusmanii in categorii complexe si niveluri diferite, ci eforturile grupurilor de indivizi din aceste categorii, progresiv, ale acelor grupuri dintr-o societate mai larga si / sau societati, si apoi, peste atatea asa-numitele limite: geografice, etnice, lingvistice, artistice si multe altele.