This issue of Alif focuses on critical understandings of America beyond its frequent equation with the physical borders of the United States of America and the ideological jurisdiction
of its official state. Critically exploring issues of transnationalism, globalization, ethnic pluralism, and cultural cross-fertilization, "The Other Americas" disavows narrow traditions of
American exceptionalism and develops a conversation about the less visible "Americas" in the domestic and global senses, considering less well-known-but no less central-cultural productions
within the borders of the U.S. and beyond them. In addition to acknowledging the social, political, artistic, and literary vitality of the entire American hemisphere, the issue suggests an even
more inclusive idea of the U.S. by highlighting oppositional cultural practices in the fields of literature, film, and performance. The issue presents versions and visions and variations of
America that seek to interrogate national identity and broaden established definitions while suggesting new modes of inquiry into the U.S. as a place in conversation with others in the world.
