In This Issue

Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies In This Issue Volume Five ofthe Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies continues our dedication to publishing compelling work that pushes at the boundaries of our disciplines. The special topics section in this issue deals with transatlantic connections. Joseba Gabilondo has assembled a collection of essays whose point of departure is a translation of Paul Gilroy's concept of the Black Atlantic. The essays in this section examine these translatlantic encounters and, I suspect, will provoke a lively critical dialogue. The rest of this issue is equally dynamic. Susan Martin-Márquez triangulates the painting of Maria Fortuny, the prose of Benito Pérez Galdós and Spain's evolving national identity. Brad Epps offers an important rereading of the work of novelist Juan José Millas against the evolving nature of civil society in Spain during and after the transición. Susana Asensio's analysis of the Nortec phenomenon offers an insightful glimpse into the relationships between market forces and musical creation. Daniela Flesler's piece on race relations and identity formation in Spain shows that issues important in the nineteenth century are still with us today. We are pleased to include interviews with filmmaker Iciar Bollain and writers Helena Maria Viramontes and Luisa Valenzuela. Our regular Pedagogical Perspectives section consists of a spirited exchange between Carroll Johnson and George Mariscal that spilled over beyond the limits of a dialogue about the former's recent publication Cervantes and the Material World m that it interrogates the place of materialist criticism and theory in general in our field. Plans for the future are equally exciting. Brad Epps is preparing a special section on Barcelona for Volume 6 and other special sections are in the planning stage. As always, we welcome suggestions for future issues. We are also planning a major conference, "Hispanic Cultural Studies, the State of the Art" for September 18-21 in Tucson. Please visit our website or contact us for further information. We hope this event will lead to a réévaluation of where Hispanic Cultural Studies is and where it might be going. Malcolm Alan Compitello Executive Editor ...