Cultural Readings - Panama
Cultural Context & Readings
As part of your preparation for Panama, we ask all students to review the readings below prior to departure. These materials provide important historical, cultural, and social context for the communities and places we will engage with during the program.
The goal of these readings is not to memorize facts, but to help you arrive with a deeper understanding of Panama beyond what is visible on the surface—particularly around issues of identity, history, and lived experience.
Required Cultural Readings
Panama: Historical & Cultural Context (Resource Sheet)
This resource offers an overview of key moments and themes in Panamanian history, including colonial legacies, U.S. influence, the Panama Canal, and the development of modern national identity. It also highlights cultural dynamics and community perspectives that are especially relevant to our time in Panama.
Why this matters:
Understanding Panama’s historical relationship with global power, migration, and race provides essential context for how the country functions today—socially, politically, and culturally.
Lost in Translation (Southern Cultures)
This article explores the role of language in Panama, particularly the intersections of Spanish and English shaped by U.S. presence, globalization, and social hierarchy.
Why this matters:
Language in Panama is deeply tied to access, opportunity, and identity. This reading helps unpack how communication reflects broader structures of power and belonging.
To Be Panamanian: The Canal Zone, Nationalist Sacrifices, and the Price of Citizenship (1954–1961)
This piece examines the struggle for Panamanian sovereignty over the Canal Zone and how nationalism, protest, and sacrifice shaped ideas of citizenship during the mid-20th century.
Why this matters:
For many Panamanians, the Canal is not only an economic asset but a symbol of dignity, resistance, and national self-determination.
Island in the City: Curundú, Panama
This article focuses on Curundú, a historically marginalized neighborhood in Panama City, exploring its spatial isolation, community life, and resilience within a broader context of urban inequality.
Why this matters:
This reading challenges simplistic narratives about marginalized communities and encourages a more nuanced, respectful understanding of place, history, and social structure.
A Note on Engagement
These readings are intended to support thoughtful engagement, curiosity, and cultural awareness throughout the program. As you read, consider how history, policy, and identity continue to shape everyday life in Panama today.
Additional context and reflections will be shared during orientation and on-site programming.
