“‘Under Western Eyes’ Revisited” Discussion Post

I found this reading to be an appropriate piece to end the our course on. Mohanty focuses much of the essay on the feminist solidarity or comparative feminist studies model which we saw roots of in This Bridge Called My Back last week. It also was pleasant to see the idea of intersectionality return from our very first class discussions and readings we had this semester. I liked how Mohanty expressed that merely looking at intersectionality still is not correct. Instead, a person had to look at both intersectionality and mutuality found in women across the globe. On another note, I was interested in the author’s discussion of the three different models of international feminist studies, however, as I was reading those sections I actually began to feel uncomfortable. While reading I realized I knew of courses described as “feminist-as-explorer” and “feminist-as-tourist” that are available at the Claremont Colleges. Even a place that we renown as enlightened and advanced has significant issues which need adjustment.

“This Bridge Called My Back” Part 1 Discussion Post

A theme of internalization of oppression could be found throughout the excerpts of This Bridge Called My Back that we read for Tuesday’s class discussion. I most resonated with the example on page 32 looking at women as both the oppressed but also the oppressor.

“We women have a similar nightmare,for each of us in some way has been both oppressed and the oppressor. We are afraid to look at how we have failed each other. We are afraid to see how we have take the values of our oppressor into our hearts and turned them against ourselves and one another. We are afraid to admit how deeply ‘the man’s’ words have been ingrained in us.”

This passage reminds me of another idea I saw in the beginning of the reading, the idea of division between women. In Genny Lim’s “Wonder Woman,” I see there being an underlying question of if there is a basic unity between all women. Lim questions why women are divided, why they build “…walls that tear them [women] down?”

“Queer Aztlan” Discussion Post

I found this reading a wonderful continuation of the discussion started by Gloria Anzaldua in Borderlands which we finished on Tuesday. Moraga focuses on the intersection of the Chicano movement and gay and lesbian movements in the past half a century, then moving to speaking on indigenous groups and the idea of sovereignty. I enjoyed the entire reading, I thought it was an extremely captivating piece of literature. However, I think I liked the last half a bit more. I really enjoyed seeing her discuss lesbian women and gay men in the Chicano community and how there needs to be a edited movement or push for inclusion of those individuals. She then connects those ideas, placing them in a greater idea and desire for Chicanos/Chicanas as a whole. Fear and exclusion should end. The Chicano community needs to collectively come together to work towards sovereignty, both internal and territorial sovereignty.

“Borderlands” Chapter 5-7 Discussion Post

These last chapters might be my favorite in the entire book. It was fascinating to read about how Anzaldua views language as the same as her ethnic identity, without respect for her language there is no respect for her ethnicity. The culture of the United States is eradicating the Spanish language through the pressure to get rid of accents. I saw a continuation of the theme of duality in the discussion of language. English versus Spanish is a major issue which borderland citizens have to face. This duality is solved for those people through the introduction of Chicano Spanish. Throughout this last section of the book I noticed the idea that the borderland and its people are a created third space. A space made through the relationship of being both Anglo and Mexican (through the inclusion of certain aspects of both cultures), but also neither Anglo or Mexican (because the Chicano culture is not completely the same as either of those cultures). The Chicanos found in the borderlands have a malleability due to their unique identity and relationship to the two nations surrounding them.

“Borderlands” Chapter 4 Discussion Post

I found it hard to fully understand the major idea in this chapter: the state of Coatlicue. From what I can extract from chapter 4, Coatlicue is a state of consciousness which helps draw a person out of a monotonous condition where they hide from harsh reality. People do this by turning to habitual routines, Anzaldua terms them addictions. The author introduced more serpent imagery and I could not completely follow how it related to the core theme. I feel that the idea of Coatilcue is much more complex, however, I cannot grasp the full meaning.

“Borderlands” Chapter 1-3 Discussion Post

Reading chapters one through three of Borderlands, I was amazed at how captivating Anzaldua’s writing style was and how engaged I was throughout the entire first section of the book. Anzaldua has a way of writing that kept me interested because it used descriptive language as well as focused on personal experiences, but it also continued to interweave major points of theory into the writing. I found the idea of the complexity of the United States/Mexico relationship to be particularly fascinating. A sentence on page 32 resonated with me, “The infusion of the values of the white culture, coupled with the exploitation by that culture, is changing the Mexican way of life.” There are dueling forces at work. White culture has a direct effect on borderlands however the United States clearly oppresses and mistreats the Mexican people. How does that/will that effect current and future generations of Mexican decedents who inhabit the borderlands?

“Chicana Power!” Chapter 4-6 Discussion Post

In the final portion of Chicana Power!, I was caught by the lack of consensus and unity between the regional groups of the Chicana movement. The groups’ attempt for a national network to support the movement actually resulted in the reveal of core divisions between groups. The conference in Houston uncovered regional discord as well as differences in ideas central to the cause. On top of these conflicts, a portion of women attending the conference executed a walk-out which permanently hurt the Chicana movement. I wonder whether the damage toward the national movement would have been as great if the walk-out had not occurred? Also, in the previous chapter, Blackwell spoke about how print culture gave organizations the ability to learn other groups’ views. Did the widespread literature not illustrate the different views of groups on key issues?

“Chicana Power!” Chapter 3 Discussion Post

When reading Chapter 3, I found the portions on print culture and iconography most interesting. The print culture of the 1960s and 1970s seemed to  play a major role in the understanding of gender roles in the Chicano/Chicana movement. I was fascinated at how the culture could be so beneficial to the feminist cause but also so harmful at the same time. Yo Soy Joaquin was mass distributed and placed women back in their original role on the sideline of the movement. The book re-marginalized Chicana females while pushing the masculine image back into the foreground. However, later in the chapter, print culture can be seen as supporting the feminist cause through the photograph of Hilda Reyes and the multitude of symbolism that can be found in it.

“Chicana Power” Introduction/Chapter 1-2 Discussion Post

This weekend we started our next book, Chicana Power, reading both the introduction as well as the first two chapters. The introduction section did not exactly pull me in, I found it challenging to digest the amount of feminist and Chicana theory packed into that portion of the reading. I very much  enjoyed Chapter 1 “Spinning the Record.” I enjoyed how the chapter delved into how and why Chicana feminist movements had not been given their due importance in history. In almost every aspect, that section of history was almost an afterthought. In feminist history, the women and their history is placed as the third wave of feminism. I found it interesting that though it sounds like a continued progression towards a better society, it actually illustrates the events as an add-on, a simple reaction to the “real” movement.

“Our Movement: One Woman’s Story” Discussion Post

I found it fascinating that Carmen began her life of political activism through such a small, personal group who made up the Puerto Ricans For Self-Determination. This fact makes me understand political activism and agency for Carmen and other Chicana individuals as extremely grounded and personal. Instead of joining a massive group from the start, Carmen joined a small collective of peers who truly were interested in learning about the issues and finding their voices and opinions about them. While reading I felt like by doing this it gave Carmen more of a voice. I found it extremely disheartening to hear about the continued sexism found in the PSP. It seemed like the organization was so advanced in their thinking on certain issues pertaining to race and economy, however, they were still stuck in traditional views on gender. By the end of Carmen’s testimonial, I comprehended that she was continuing to fight for the issues important to her, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit defeated. Carmen tried both radical forces of change through PSP as well as working inside the government to achieve an end to oppression, however neither of these methods ended in success. In the end Carmen states that it needs to be a collective push towards justice and equality, not one person or organization’s fight. If organizations are a community’s way of assembling, how does Carmen propose society move toward justice?