Browsing by Subject "Arias, Clotilde"

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    Clotilde Arias: A Champion of Inclusive Pan-American Cultural Exchange in New York City (1930-1950)
    (2024) Millones, Alex; Rosas, Marlen
    Clotilde Arias, born in 1901 in Iquitos, Peru, traveled to the United States in her early twenties to pursue a career as a musician. Despite facing personal challenges, she was a successful composer and translator, while also bringing attention to indigenous Peruvians and Spanish language education in the U.S. Arias’s life unfolded during the era of the Good Neighbor Policy of Pan- Americanism, where U.S. policy aimed to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Latin American nations, both politically and culturally. During this time, Arias engaged with governmental initiatives, private sector projects, and personal music works to promote cultural exchange. Notably, Arias translated "The Star-Spangled Banner '' into Spanish, composed the “Huiracocha”, and produced commercial jingles for major U.S. corporations like Coca-Cola and Ford. She also advocated for the teaching of Spanish in U.S. schools, particularly through her piece “Himno de la Américas.” Despite her significant contributions, there has been limited scholarly exploration of her life and work as a cultural intermediary. My thesis delves into Arias's archive, housed at the National Museum of American History, to contextualize her contributions within the broader landscape of the Good Neighbor and U.S.-Peru relations. Arias's archive contains a wealth of materials which reflect her personal and professional life, including correspondences, manuscripts, and immigration documents. By focusing on Arias, my project sheds light on the often-overlooked contributions of Latin American women during the years of the Good Neighbor Policy. It also explores themes such as Peruvian indigeneity, the significance of Spanish language translation, and the intersection of gender and feminism in Pan-American projects. This microhistorical approach offers a nuanced understanding of the period while highlighting Arias's enduring impact on U.S. and Latin American relations.