Synopsis:

Spectacular parades and exhibitions of giant alebrijes have recently become popular in Mexico, the United States and Europe. Some of these enormous figures are inspired by papier-mâché creations from Mexico City; others are based on Oaxacan wood carvings. This talk explores the making of giant alebrijes, the participation of Oaxacan wood carvers and entrepreneurs in displays in New York City and California, and ways in which the promoters of

these exhibits relate them to the rhetoric surrounding immigration to the United States.

Bio:

Michael Chibnik is a retired professor of anthropology at the University of Iowa. He has carried out research among Oaxacan wood carvers since 1994. He is the author of Crafting Tradition: The Making and Marketing of Oaxacan Carvings (University of Texas Press 2003) and its expanded Spanish translation Tallando una Tradición: El Trabajo y el Comericao de Alebrijes u Otras Tallas en Madera en Oaxaca (1450 Ediciones 2017). He is the former editor-in-chief of American Anthropologist, the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association.