Chicana Feminisms
A Critical Reader
Patricia Zavella editor Gabriela F Arredondo editor Aida Hurtado editor Norma Klahn editor Olga Nájera-Ramírez editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Duke University Press
Published:9th Jul '03
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
An anthology of original essays from Chicana feminists which explores the complexities of life experiences of the Chicanas, such as class, generation, sexual orientation, age & language use
Presents various essays on Chicana feminist thought by scholars, creative writers, and artists. This title moves the field of Chicana feminist theory forward by examining feminist creative expression, the politics of representation, and the realities of Chicana life.Chicana Feminisms presents new essays on Chicana feminist thought by scholars, creative writers, and artists. This volume moves the field of Chicana feminist theory forward by examining feminist creative expression, the politics of representation, and the realities of Chicana life. Drawing on anthropology, folklore, history, literature, and psychology, the distinguished contributors combine scholarly analysis, personal observations, interviews, letters, visual art, and poetry. The collection is structured as a series of dynamic dialogues: each of the main pieces is followed by an essay responding to or elaborating on its claims. The broad range of perspectives included here highlights the diversity of Chicana experience, particularly the ways it is made more complex by differences in class, age, sexual orientation, language, and region. Together the essayists enact the contentious, passionate conversations that define Chicana feminisms.
The contributors contemplate a number of facets of Chicana experience: life on the Mexico-U.S. border, bilingualism, the problems posed by a culture of repressive sexuality, the ranchera song, and domesticana artistic production. They also look at Chicana feminism in the 1960s and 1970s, the history of Chicanas in the larger Chicano movement, autobiographical writing, and the interplay between gender and ethnicity in the movie Lone Star. Some of the essays are expansive; others—such as Norma Cantú’s discussion of the writing of her fictionalized memoir Canícula—are intimate. All are committed to the transformative powers of critical inquiry and feminist theory.
Contributors. Norma Alarcón, Gabriela F. Arredondo, Ruth Behar, Maylei Blackwell, Norma E. Cantú, Sergio de la Mora, Ann duCille, Michelle Fine, Rosa Linda Fregoso, Rebecca M. Gámez, Jennifer González, Ellie Hernández, Aída Hurtado, Claire Joysmith, Norma Klahn, Amalia Mesa-Bains, Olga Nájera-Ramírez, Anna Nieto Gomez, Renato Rosaldo, Elba Rosario Sánchez, Marcia Stephenson, Jose Manuel Valenzuela, Patricia Zavella
“This remarkable collection of essays registers the efforts of Chicanas, against all odds, to document, imagine, and understand the complexity of their histories and experiences. Particularly impressive are the open-ended discussions between academics, artists, and writers. The essays brilliantly support the editors’ claim that the Chicanas have invented new forms and have intervened decisively in the debates on gender and ethnicity. Chicana Feminisms will be an essential reference for many years to come.”—Jean Franco, author of Critical Passions: Selected Essays
"Chicana Feminisms comes alive with theoretical and emotional responses from some of the most exciting thinkers in Chicana feminist social thought. This book is a truly momentous achievement. It will stand the test of time."—Laura I. Rendón, author of Educating a New Majority: Transforming America’s Educational System for Diversity
“The editors of Chicana Feminisms boldly publish Spanish and English texts, a significant move during a period of intense Xenophobia in the United States as anti-Mexican, anti-bilinguilism . . . The work is thoroughly transdisciplinary in its organization. The anthology is best read front to back in order to hear the method and theory of interlingual, intradialogic tracks . . . [each] systematically engaging a process of dialogue and debate.” -- Karen Mary Davalos * Feminist Studies *
“This is a book that would promote lively discussion in advanced undergraduate and graduate classrooms, particularly because of its applicability to various legacies of activism and scholarship by feminists of color. It is refreshing to see scholars explicitly address the multiplicity of Chicana identities, inviting difference and celebrating regional, racial, sexual, generational, and other variations of Chicanisma.” -- Gaye Theresa Johnson * NWSA Journal *
"Chicana Feminisms opens possibilities for anyone who is interested in reading about the ways in which feministas analyze their social worlds. . . . As no others before them, these writers capture the daily lives of Mexican and Mexican-descent working-class mujeres, embedding their narratives in the tensions and contradictions of social, political, and cultural forces that constrain and shape lives." -- Josephine Mendez-Negrete * San Antonio Express-News *
"Thoughtful dialogues abound throughout the scholarship, poetry, and testimonials here. Not only does the book affirm the history and resiliency of feminist thought among Hispanic women, but each essay ultimately serves to remind us all of Hurtado's succinct assertion that 'to love oneself as a woman is a revolutionary act.'" -- Maria Elena Buszek * Bust *
ISBN: 9780822331414
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 590g
408 pages