In This Issue

Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'.

(© Bob Dylan, 1963)

Since its inception the Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies has been committed to being the destination of choice for restive scholars anxious to publish excellent transdisciplinary research. The journal has opened its pages to those with big ideas be they essays or special sections, interviews or round tables. As Executive Editor I am deeply grateful to all of those whose contributions have made this publication so successful. Your scholarship has helped redefine the nature of Hispanism and its relationship to the humanities and the humanistic social sciences.

This volume is no different. The Movida, that important if poorly understood cultural phenomenon that exemplified and simultaneously defined the nature of Spain as it lurched from dictatorship to democracy, is the subject of our special section. Guest Editor, Professor William Nichols, has put together a series of essays that probe the Movida from a variety of perspectives. The introduction by Professors Nichols and Song and the essays by Professors Marí, Fouce, Mira, and Bermúdez contribute richly to a deeper contextual understanding of how the cultural production of a group of restive younger intellectuals blossomed into something in which many took part and everybody understood and continues to understand very differently. Two essays explore the work of the Catalán director Ventura Pons, an important auteur with a long enough filmography to have merited more critical attention. Professor Anton Pujol probes the cartographic imaginary that binds Pons's films to the real spaces and places of Barcelona, while Professor Alfredo J. Sosa-Velasco looks at the director's work relationship to Catalán and European literary and filmic production. Professor María Yazmina Moreno-Florido studies another important Catalán film, Marta Balletbò-Coll's Costa Brava (Family Album), through the lens of gender issues as they relate to tourism. Professor María Bernath explores issues of exile and immigration through a study of the novel Salsa by Clara Obligado. Professor Yadira M. Padilla examines representations of immigrant workers in mass media in the United States uncovering how globalization and its impact on immigration shape cultural imaginaries. To round out issue we offer Professor Nuria Morgado's interview with the Spanish novelist Eduardo Lagos, Nadal Prize winner in 2006, and Director of the Cervantes Institute in New York.

While some things do remain constant, change is inevitable and a number of them have and will affect the Arizona Journal as it continues to evolve over the next few years. After considerable soul searching, internal discussion among the editors, research and lobbying with providers the journal has embraced what I once would have considered a pact with the devil, electronic homes on Project Muse, JSTOR and Dialnet, in Spain. These collaborations make the journal much more widely available than it was when we were only available in print. Committing to electronic delivery also allows the Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies to become greener and reduce its carbon footprint substantially. Much greater cost efficiency is an added bonus.

On the human side of the equation the journal has had to deal with a major change. After almost thirteen years of service in editorial capacities Professor Susan Larson has left to pursue other professional interests. Susan was here from the beginning and will always be here in spirit. To say that she will be missed is quite an understatement. Her vision, professionalism and dedication infuse every page of every issue of this publication. Those of you who interacted with her as contributors, readers, editorial staff, and members of the editorial board know how diligently and selflessly she worked to shepherd each issue from conception to publication. The Journal's new Managing Editor is Professor Benjamin Fraser. His wide ranging expertise of Hispanic cultural studies and allied disciplines such as geography and philosophy, his knowledge of the profession and his energy will help the journal navigate the intellectual waters ahead.

Old dogs should always try to learn some new tricks while, of course, not forgetting the old ones. The journal's transition over...