INTRODUCTION Morocco is playing France today in the World Cup semi-finals. It’s a huge game for several reasons because Morocco are — and have been — massive underdogs. But that didn’t stop them from knocking out Iberian neighbors Spain and Morocco. And now, as they did in the 8th century, the move on to France. … Continue reading No Enclave — Moroccan Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Today, on 13 December (St. Lucy’s Day), Argentina and Croatia will face off in the World Cup semi-finals. It’s safe to say, most Angelenos who care at all about association football (aka “soccer”) will be rooting for Argentina. Los Angeles is also home to the nation’s second-largest Argentine community — although it is smaller … Continue reading No Enclave — Croatian Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION The Tongva are a people indigenous to the American Southwest. When the European conquest of that region began, they were the dominant people in what came to be known as the Los Angeles Basin. At that time, their realm spanned more than 3,000 square kilometers of land and sea. For over 1,000 years, had … Continue reading No Enclave — Tongva Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION There are no reliable figures of how many Oaxacans live in Los Angeles but, suffice to say, it is almost certainly a larger community than in any other US city and one of, and perhaps the, largest outside of Mexico. There have been efforts for at least ten years to get the city to … Continue reading No Enclave — Oaxacan Los Angeles
Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua and Aymara: Piruw) is a country in South America. It is considered a “megadiverse’ country, the habitats of which include the arid planes of the Pacific coast, the alpine peaks of the Andes, and the tropical Amazon basin. It is also home to a highly diverse human population of about 34 … Continue reading No Enclave — Peruvian Los Angeles
This week’s post is about Kazakh Los Angeles. Since it is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the primary focus is on ethnically Kazakh Angelenos. However, as Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic society, a few “white” Angelenos with roots in Kazakstan are included too. INTRODUCTION I first became aware of Kazakhstan (Қазақстан) as a child when I … Continue reading No Enclave — Kazakh Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and in honor of that observance, this week’s post is about Guamanians in Los Angeles. BRIEF HISTORY OF GUAM Guam (CHamoru: Guåhan) is an island in the Micronesia sub-region of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point in the Greater United States. It is the … Continue reading No Enclave — Guamanian Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Nowruz took place last week on a blustery Sunday. Nowruz is the New Year of Zoroastrians and in Iran as well as much of Central and West Asia. It’s often, in fact, referred to as Persian New Year. A bit ago, someone bemoaned that I hadn’t written a No Enclave about Iranians or Persians. … Continue reading No Enclave — Iranian Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a multilingual metropolis. There are roughly 19 million people in Metro Los Angeles and, according to the late, renowned linguist, Vyacheslav Ivanov, there are at least 224 languages spoken in Los Angeles County. Ivanov also estimated that there are roughly 180 local publications written in languages other than English. Although a less … Continue reading No Enclave — Language Schools of Los Angeles
UKRAINE Ukraine (Україна) is the second-largest country in Europe, after Russia. It has a population of 41.2 million, making it the eighth-most populous country in Europe. The nation’s capital and its most populous municipality is the ancient city of Kyiv. What’s now Ukraine has been inhabited by Homo sapiens since at least 32,000 BCE. The … Continue reading No Enclave — Ukrainian Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 