The introduction of Archives
Power! struck me in an unexpected way. I wasn’t prepared to draw
connections between this course and last semester’s International Studies
Seminar: Politics of Memory and History. However after reading through the
introduction it became clear there are many links between the two realms of
coursework. The connection I find most intriguing — and hope to explore in greater
depth this term — is the relationship between state power and “official”
histories. The collective memory of a population is often tied to official
state documents and archives, though these may not always best reflect the community
at stake. I find this tension between official histories and hidden memories to
be extremely fascinating since it often drives the poorly represented group to
stand up and speak out against the state system. This notion of control and
power gained through the selection of specific archives and the rejection of
others is something I would like to expand upon as I dive into the terrain of
Chicana feminism. More specifically, I hope to learn more about the political
implications of silencing Chicana feminists and failing to include their
stories and experiences in the official public history.
Another aspect of Chicana feminism I’m looking forward to
exploring is the intersection of gender and sexuality in conjunction with the
Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. Chicano!
touches on this concept, but I would like to learn more about the ways these
radical women were able to redefine society as they know it and empower their
community to take a stand for justice and political representation. As I
learned in my seminar last semester, these types of histories often go
unnoticed and require conscious research and documentation to unearth the
“hidden” truth.
One of my greatest fears moving forward is that the
interview with Maria Guadiana isn’t as successful as I would like it to be. I
worry that after months of preparation and research, the interview might not go
as smoothly as planned, or that my teammate and I don’t gain as much from it as
we may have originally intended. I know sometimes I can become caught up in
minute details and fail to see the larger picture at hand, so I hope this
experience will allow me to understand Chicana feminism and the radical
movement behind it in an all-encompassing way.
Additionally, I look forward to exploring a new realm of
coursework and becoming an active participant in unearthing this “unofficial”
history. I hope that by the end of the term I not only grasp a better
understanding of the Chicana movement, but find specific connections to my own
life and interests as well. I’m most excited for the actual interview itself
and hope that it is not only quite successful, but that the stories shared are
ones I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My own mother has been doing
genealogy for about ten years now and the stories she shares with my family and
I at the dinner table, family gatherings and on long car rides, are not only
heartfelt, but of great historic value also.
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