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Myths and Memories: Representations of Female Indigeneities and Colonialities in Chicana Literature
DozentIn: Sophia Rauschenberger
Veranstaltungstyp: Seminar
Ort: nicht angegeben
Zeiten: Mo. 12:00 - 14:00 (wöchentlich)
Beschreibung: The history of the American continent is inevitably connected to colonialism. Though its development enhanced regional differences, the far-reaching consequences for the native population were devastating. Therefore, it might not be surprising that in post-colonial discourses the concepts of indigeneity and coloniality retain significant relevance. Within the context of literature, indigeneity has become a reoccurring theme of the Chicana/o movement. Whereas George Hartley proclaims the embrace of indigenous ancestry of Mexican American culture as a “defining gesture” within the movement (“Indigeneity,” 2012), it has also faced severe criticism. Often perceived as a challenge to the so called ‘illegal alienization’ of Mexican Americans in U.S. culture and politics, it has been widely understood to function as a marker of territorial priority. Chicana feminist discourse, however, included indigenism in the words of Arturo Ramirez (“Feminist Neo Indigenism in Chicana Atzlán,” 1995) in a “synergistic manner,” joining both feminism and indigenism. In this seminar in American Studies, we will seek to explore essential concepts of coloniality as well as prominent reinterpretations of female indigeneity in Chicana literary and cultural production, by taking up a wide spectrum of analytical and fictional texts. Since we will be predominantly dealing with the historical heritage of Mexican/Hispanic American culture it should be noted that the knowledge of Spanish might be useful but is not obligatory.
We will be discussing the following primary texts in our course:
Ana Castillo’s So Far from God (1993) [Norton Paperback Edition 2005, ISBN: 978-0393326932]
Sandra Cisnero’s Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories (1992) [Vintage Contemporaries, ISBN: 978-0-679-73856-5]
Please procure print or eBook versions of these books.
We will additionally discuss poetic works, essays, and secondary literature which will be made available to the course. In order to take and enjoy this class, you should be willing to read, analyse, and discuss these texts. A detailed list of reading assignments will be included in the course schedule, and will be made available to you before the first session. As part of this online seminar, we will engage critically in dialogue, discussion, and reflection. You will be asked to carefully prepare the reading(s) allotted for a session, develop points pf discussion, and hold student-led sessions about the primary literature. Please check the course webpages on Stud.IP regularly for updates, announcements, and changes. Please note that this seminar cannot be taken as part of the ANG-I module.
Additionally, this seminar can be taken as a component of the university's certificate for gender studies. In this regard, it should be noted that it will not be possible for students to take the certificate's "Prüfungsleistung" in this class. Students who wish to attend this class as part of the certificate will be asked to write me an e-mail.
