The University of Illinois at Chicago's Latin American and Latino Studies Program welcomes Francisco Scarano, who will present "Jibaro Soy! Peasants, Politics, and Identity in Puerto Rico." Scarano's talk, part of the Lecture in the Community series, will address issues of Puerto Rican identity and culture.

"The Lecture in the Community series is an open forum for establishing a dialogue between UIC and the Latino community in Chicago," said Frances Aparicio, UIC director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program.

Friday, April 27 7 p.m.

Pedro Albizu Campos Museum
2639 W. Division St.

Francisco Scarano is a professor of history and director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He is a noted scholar of Caribbean history with emphasis on Puerto Rico and other Spanish-speaking nations. Scarano's work has focused on such topics as slavery, peasantry, plantation economy and society, and the influence of racial imagery on nation building. Publications include "Tradición y Modernidad: Una Historia Contemporánea de Puerto Rico" (McGraw Hill, 1998) and the forthcoming "La Mascarada, Jibara y Otros Ensayos: Clases, Resistencias, e Identidades en la Historia de Puerto Rico."

Sponsored by UIC's Latin American and Latino Studies Program, the lecture is free and open to the public.For more information, call 996-2445.