Introduction

Abstract

This introduction illustrates the scholarly aim and objectives of this collection, investigating the multifaceted and pervasive relationship between language, discourse, and society in Latin America and the Caribbean. This section also describes the structure of the book, followed by a short description of the chapters and their contributions to the overall understanding of the complex identity, culture, ethnicity, and power dynamics of the geo-cultural areas in exam. On the one hand, we foreground the importance of an eclectic and broad conceptualization of text, beyond the realm of logos strictu sensu. This turn is driven by a scholarly awareness that communication, partly facilitated by new technologies, has been moving away from monomodality to multimodality, as well as by an "emerging recognition that such symbols provide access to a range of human experience not always available through the study of [linguistic] discourse" (Foss, 2004: 301). By encompassing any instance of communication in any mode or any combination of modes (Kress, 2003: 48), this collection features contributions focusing on verbal communication, visual images, and social media. On the other hand, we foreground the need for a project addressing the two regions simultaneously, dealing with the challenges that stem from the peculiarities and uniqueness of both. Four main thematic areas are outlined, encompassing the different research designs of the contributions and possible dialogues between the aspects under investigation.