Many inhabitants of the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean speak a mixture of English and Japanese that resulted from the islands’ unique and complicated history. The development of Bonin English began with the arrival—on previously uninhabited islands—of men and women speaking eighteen European and Austronesian languages in the early nineteenth century. As the islanders intermixed, their native languages intertwining, the need arose for a common language and shared means of communication. Eventually, a pidgin version of English emerged as the preferred method of communication as well as a strong symbol of island identity. As Bonin English developed among second- and third-generation islanders, it was further complicated by the arrival of thousands of Japanese speakers. Increasingly, these formerly “western” islanders became bilingual, and by the mid-twentieth century Bonin English had evolved to incorporate elements of Japanese. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of Bonin English and the complex sociolinguistic factors that have influenced its endurance and metamorphosis.

With this special issue, the Hispanic American Historical Review explores the vital work in gender and sexuality by leading historians of Latin America. This collection offers readers a look at the current state of gender and sexuality studies—areas of enormous growth and excitement in Latin American scholarship—as well as the dynamic potential of the discipline’s future.
Sueann Caulfield, one of the most distinguished scholars of Latin American gender studies, leads off with an insightful historiographical analysis of the field. Building on the foundation laid by Caulfield, a forum of four younger scholars—Heidi Tinsman, Karin Rosemblatt, Elizabeth Hutchinson, and Thomas Klubock—examines the construction of gender and power in a variety of politically contested arenas, including agrarian reform, welfarism, and leftist activism. Focusing on twentieth-century Chile, the collection also includes essays by Pablo Piccato and Christina Rivera that analyze gender dynamics, class relations, and sexual violence in the context of the medical-legal state that emerged in early-twentieth-century Mexico. The issue concludes with Martin Nesvig’s essay, which negotiates the complex terrain of Latin American homosexuality and bisexuality.
This special issue will be a valuable resource for anyone teaching women’s history, gender history, the history of sexuality, or any course on Latin American history with a focus on gender and sexuality.

Contributors. Sueann Caulfield, Elizabeth Quay Hutchison, Gilbert M. Joseph, Thomas J. Klubock, Martin Nesvig, Pablo Piccato, Cristina Rivera Garza, Karin Rosemblatt, Heidi Tinsman