JU Prof. Jorge Majfud profiled in Eco Latino after his “Top Ten Latin American writers” honor!

Jorge Majfud, a JU assistant professor of Spanish recently recognized as a “Top Ten”  current Latin American writer by Impacto Latin News, is the subject of an article in the July 1 edition of Jacksonville’s Eco Latino magazine.

The publication calls Majfud “an intellectual figure with a sharp vision of immigrants in the States” whose writing “exposes the perspective of those Latinos who share a common destiny in the U.S.”

Here is an excerpt from the article by writer Maria D’Adamo:

“Immigration produces an unstoppable demographic change,” said Uruguayan Majfud, “no political party can prevent it.” According to the Spanish Literature professor, only by recognizing this new reality the country can survive.

In explaining the scenario that favors today’s immigration bill, Majfud enumerated three combined factors. “We first see certain vindication of rights appearing,” he said while alluding to recent social changes marked by the gradual acceptance of young immigrants brought to the country by their undocumented parents. The second factor that the writer mentioned was the recognition of certain human needs -such as the protection of the undocumented to access housing (the Fair Housing Act covers undocumented immigrants). “Finally, there are interests. That’s when the economic and political power realizes that immigrants are needed,” he said.

Indeed, if we looked into the Nineteenth Century, the vast number of immigrants from Britain, Germany, and Ireland who came to the States – despite some strong opposition – were actually needed to settle the land.

“When those factors combine, and the interests of powerful groups match the social demands, changes take place,” he asserted.

Majfud offered an overview of the intertwined causes and effects of immigration in the U.S. However, the “immigrant fertility” recently alluded by Florida’s ex-governor Jeb Bush remains arguable for the writer.

“It’s no longer true that Latinos at large are more fertile,” said the award-winning author who does not deny the fact that culturally, Mexicans and Central Americans tend to have larger families. He explained that the poorest households are those that tend to have more children, and that this fact has no direct relation with the place of origin but mostly with idiosyncrasy. “Historically, conservatives in this country also tend to have more children than liberals. In liberal families, women generally have more formal education or are more independent, while the conservative has focused more in traditional roles in the home and motherhood,” he argues.

Read the entire article here.