Jun 10, 2025
As part of the 10th Symposium of the Observatory of the Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures in the United States—titled Digital Hispanism: The Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures in the Digital Humanities Era—the podcast Voces del Español was showcased. Hosted by Erika Erdely, Academic Secretary of UNAM Chicago, the podcast is a collection of 100 episodes produced by UNAM Chicago in collaboration with Spanish Public Radio Chicago between 2019 and 2024. The series offers a rich exploration of themes related to the identity, culture, and lived experiences of Spanish-speaking communities in the region, as well as the teaching of Spanish in the U.S., particularly in Chicago, where Mexican Spanish is the dominant variety.
With an engaging, conversational tone, Voces del Español primarily features interviews with university professors, along with conversations with social, cultural, and educational leaders. The episodes cover topics such as Spanish language education, Latino cultural identity in the U.S., the diversity of Spanish dialects, the influence of Indigenous languages from Latin America, general linguistics, gender issues, and various forms of artistic expression among Spanish-speaking communities.
Among the 75 scholars and researchers featured in the series, more than half are experts from UNAM. They are joined by faculty members from 12 U.S. universities, one from Canada, and two from Spain. In addition, 25 leaders from the social, cultural, and educational sectors also contributed to the project.
If you'd like to explore this exceptional program celebrating the richness of the Spanish language, you can access it through the following links:
Spotify UNAM Chicago
YouTube UNAM Chicago
