Browsing by Subject "Gloria Anzaldua"
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Item Archival landscapes: crossings of theory and practice in institutional repositories(2015-12) Varner, Alana Victoria; Guidotti-Hernández, Nicole Marie; Roy, LorieneInformation Studies and the humanities have different theories of the archive, causing these two fields to talk past one another. These gaps in discourse have the potential to further silence histories that have been traditionally left out of the archival record. Using recipe materials in collections as a point of interrogation, I address the theory-practice gap, and propose feminist ways of reading the archive that can be useful for those left out on the basis of gender, race, class, gender, and sexuality. I focus on two case studies from the University of Texas Austin’s libraries. The first examines the Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas materials in the Harry Ransom Center, whose mediated inclusion in the archive speaks to both the failures of descriptive practices to sufficiently incorporate LGBTQ materials, and the further exclusion of racialized queer bodies in prestigious institutions. The second case study analyzes Gloria Anzaldúa’s papers in the LLILAS Benson Latin American Collections. I argue that these papers reflect histories of racism and oppressive practices in archives in general, and hegemonic power structures more broadly. Recipe materials in Anzaldúa’s papers provide liberatory approaches to reading the archive that exceed the strict parameters of the institution. My thesis argues that reading the gaps between theoretical and practical understandings of the archive offers a more socially conscientious approach to the archive for those who were never meant to be included.Item Between the borderlands of life and death : a spiritual and intellectual journey towards developing conocimiento(2013-05) Dominguez, Victoria Ashley; González-López, Gloria, 1960-The personal is political, the political is personal. This mantra has inspired feminist thought for decades because of its emphasis on disclosing the personal in the name of consciousness raising, an important form of feminist activism focused on making what is invisible visible in the spirit of bringing about radical change. Feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's inspirational writings epitomize the transformative power of incorporating the personal in academic theorizing. Her work has encouraged us to not only reimagine what counts as knowledge, but to "risk the personal" in our own writing. My thesis contributes to the burgeoning field of Anzaldúan studies by asserting the value of "risking the personal" in academic writing. I open up, immerse in, and expose my wound as I contend with the greatest rupture in my life yet. On January 23, 2011, merely two years ago, a single phone call broke my heart and soul. My 48 year-old mother was dead. My thesis is an autohistoria-teoría that aims to examine the suffering consciousness that arises when we experience traumatic ruptures that shatter our worlds. Specifically, I use Anzaldúa's theory of conocimiento as an epistemological framework to map my movements in consciousness as I write about my mother's unexpected death. I offer my personal account of grief to shatter the silence around death, revealing the complexity that surrounds and defines loss by giving voice to the marginalized experience of losing a mother as a young woman. I then write about the role of writing in the face of ruptures, arguing that writing is a powerful tool in developing conocimiento. After descending into my wound, I begin my spiritual activism by examining the power of opening ourselves to alternative ways of knowing. I immerse myself in Tibetan Buddhism, embracing its perspectives and contemplating impermanence. All of this in the service of developing conocimiento, a revolutionary mindset dedicated to constant transformation. This transformation is a process of personal and collective healing that acknowledges our interconnectedness. We all experience similar journeys of rupture, pain, and growth. Let us use this connection to improve ourselves, our communities, and our world.