In the article, Professor Gaspar de Alba discusses and critics the CARA exhibition's lack of inclusivity of Chicana artists. Gaspar de Alba explains the gender disparity and problematic female representation exhibited at CARA. For instance, she illustrates that many of the females portrayed by Chicanos are either depicted as mothers or as mistresses which objectify Chicana women to a constrain role or identity. This is interesting because I believe these expectations are still practiced in the Chicanx community. Unfortunately, women are seen as inferior due to the patriarchy and machismo embedded in society. Gaspar de Alba also discusses in lecture how CARA was created to preserve, represent, and maintain the Chicano/a experience. She specifically …show more content…
Chicana artists are historically underrepresented and their art work is always viewed lesser to the Chicano artists due to hegemony. However, many Chicana artists depict the reality of the Chicana experience and criticize and question the heterosexist Chicano narrative. Moreover, Professor Gaspar de Alba defines and distinguishes the difference between politics of identity and identity of politics. She emphasizes how politics of identity is the way the individual defines themselves. She then raised a very interesting question on who identifies as "Feminist" and unsurprisingly mostly women raised their hand and men did not. She then explains that many people misinterpret the meaning of feminism. It is stereotyped to be a "hating men" movement, when that is not the case. Gaspar de Alba goes into depth explaining how a man can also identify as a feminist if he has shares the same beliefs as feminists. Similar, to being a queer ally any individual may be a feminist ally. It is not surprising to me that many people misinterpret the feminism movement because historically feminism was centered on the upper-middle class white
Blackwell was able to conduct with the pioneering Chicana activist and theorist Anna NietoGomez, along with the members of Las Hijas de Cuauhtémoc. She talks about the families of Anna NietoGomez, Corinne Sanchez, and also Sylvia Castillo; and what brought them to activism. She uses Foucault’s archaeology of knowledge to help understand the ways in which the Chicanas have been omitted from the social histories of the Chicano and women’s movements.
North Americans and Mexicans must also attempt to overcome the ideas that women should be seen and not heard. In Anzaldúa’s words, “Hocicona, repeloma, chismosa, having a big mouth, questioning, carrying tales are all signs of being mal criada. In my culture they are all words that are derogatory if applied to women – I’ve ever heard them applied to men” (2947).
Delgadillo, Theresa. "Forms of Chicana Feminist Resistance: Hybrid Spirituality in Ana Castillo's So Far From God."Modern Fiction Studies. 44.4 (1998): 888-914. Delgadillo, Theresa. "Forms of Chicana Feminist Resistance: Hybrid Spirituality in Ana Castillo's So Far From God."Modern Fiction Studies. 44.4 (1998): 888-914. .
In “In Living Color: Race and American Culture”, Michael Omi claims that racism still takes place in America’s contemporary society. According to Omi, media and popular culture shape a segregating ideology by giving a stereotypical representation of black people to the public, thus generating discrimination between races (Omi 115:166). In “Bad Feminist: Take One”, Roxane Gay discusses the different roles that feminism plays in our society. She argues that although some feminist authors and groups try to create a specific image of the feminist approach, there is no definition that fully describe feminism and no behaviors that can make someone a good feminist or a bad feminist (Gay 304:306). Both authors argue
...d of struggles does a Chicana face when they pursue a college degree. I want to learn how a Chicana lesbian challenge culture and what type of barriers, inequalities and struggles do the Chicana lesbians face. I want to research the social problems that women face when they don’t challenge gender roles. For example is Domestic Violence a culture problems cause by gender roles among the population because women are being taught to be submissive to men. My interest it’s in understanding how some of these challenges, barriers, oppressions, and inequalities play in to role when a Chicana tries to pursue a college degree and make a career for her self in the Unites States.
Torres, Hector Avalos. 2007. Conversations with Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Writers. U.S.: University of New Mexico press, 315-324.
The Chica de Silva is an interesting story about a women by the name of Francisca who was born into slavery. Chica’s mother was a women of color as for her father he was white. What captures many people’s attention and interest is that as a slave she was sold to a dimaniod miner by the name of Joao Franandes de Oivera . Joao F. de Olivera was a powerful man in Brazil. Joao and Chica were romanticly involed which caused Chica’s social status increase . Chica went from a slavey to an exremley wealthy person in Brazil. Chica’s story was turned into a myth after various versions were told.Her life isn’t just the story about a woman who was rich , story talks about the struggles a color woman experiences and even if she was rich she was still treated unequally because of her nationality.Overall throught the years she has shown respect and affection for Joao ,which they both gave back to the community by sponcering many people and becoming their child’s Godparent.The discrimation was not only again Chica but as
Armando Rendon in his landmark 1970 wrote the book I am a Chicano. This book is about how activist in the Chicano movement pointed to an empty monolog of the word Chicano. Chicano means an activist. Chicanos describes themselves it was a form of self-affirmation; it reflected the consciousness that their experiences. Chicanos means, nations, histories, and cultures. This book talks about how Mexican American also used the term of Chicano to describe them, and usually in a lighthearted way, or as a term of endearment. In a text it talks how Chicanos haven’t forgotten their Mexican origins, and how they become a unique community. The book talks about how Mexican American community’s long-suffering history of racism and discrimination, disenfranchisement, and economic exploitation in the United States. The
The third chapter is quite a different spin from what I read in the previous chapters from author's Gloria. E. Anzaldua's book entitled Light In The Dark/Luz En Lo Oscuro. Chapter three is quite interesting. In this particular chapter on page 48, she reveals her identity as a jotitita (queer Chicana). Anzaldua goes to further states that this "mexicatjena-to enter a museum and look at indigenous objects that were once used by my ancestors"(48 Anzaldua). What is interesting to me is the she ponders on whether or not she finds her historical Indian identity at the museum. In addition, she also questions whether her identity could be found along the ancient artifacts and their as she puts it their mestizaje. I really
However, understanding the feminist movement is to understand that there has been exclusion of certain groups of women; therefore, leaving out certain issues that those women are still needing to fight for on their own. Women of color had to fight and continue to fight to bring their issues to the attention of mainstream feminists. Latina women’s issues were not being represented in the issues that mainstream feminist were advocating for. Latina feminism includes issues regarding their culture, language, religion, and education and much more. Through the book, Chicana Feminist Thought: The Basic Historical Writings, edited by Alma M.Garcia, there is further evidence about the issues that Latina women experience. In the chapter ,“La Femenista,” by Anna NietoGomez, she states that “In order to establish themselves as a legitimate interest group or groups, the Chicana femenista has continually had to justify, clarify and educate people in the political philosophical issues of the Chicana woman” (NietoGomez 87). The fact that Latinas even had to clarify their issues shows that their issues were being ignored or not being considered important. Latinas had to prove that their issues were far different from the mainstream feminist, yet still important. NietoGomez states that, “Philosophical conflicts arose from those who felt that the Chicano movement did not have
Judith Ortiz Cofer, a professor of english and creative writing, tackles gender roles as well as cultural stereotypes in “ The Myth of the Latin Woman” and challenges them by attempting to replace the stereotypes with the realities. In “The Myth of the Latin Woman” Cofer discusses her life in America as a Puerto Rican woman. She also shares her stories of when she was stereotyped and how gender roles play a role in how Latinos are viewed. Stereotypes will follow you around because of your appearance and how the media portrays Latinas.
The eternal endeavor of obtaining a realistic sense of selfhood is depicted for all struggling women of color in Gloria Anzaldua’s “Borderlands/La Frontera” (1987). Anzaldua illustrates the oppressing realities of her world – one that sets limitations for the minority. Albeit the obvious restraints against the white majority (the physical borderland between the U.S. and Mexico), there is a constant and overwhelming emotional battle against the psychological “borderlands” instilled in Anzaldua as she desperately seeks recognition as an openly queer Mestiza woman. With being a Mestiza comes a lot of cultural stereotypes that more than often try to define ones’ role in the world – especially if you are those whom have privilege above the “others”.
Suaréz, Lucia M. “Julia Alvarez And The Anxiety Of Latina Representation.” Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism 5.1 (2004): 117-145. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 25 Mar.2014.
In Prida’s “Beautiful Señoritas,” Latin-American women are products instead of people, but attempt to find their humanity through bonding with an “ocean” of Latin-American female community. The first lines of the play “Beautiful Senoritas,” introduce the feminist voice of Dolores Prida. Written in the 1970s, this piece of literature reflects the Women’s Rights Movement and employs the liberation theme of many female writers during this decade. “Beautiful Señoritas” is a play that depicts feminist oppression, magnifying the lack of civil rights of Latina women. Although the rights of women were being recognized in the United States, the women of Latin America were still oppressed by masculine domination. In Prida’s play, she showcases this oppression and also the stereotyped gender roles of women.
In just a few decades The Women’s Liberation Movement has changed typical gender roles that once were never challenged or questioned. As women, those of us who identified as feminist have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at...