About two weeks before classes
started, I made some changes to my schedule and needed to find another Women’s
Studies class. Originally, I enrolled in this class because it satisfies the
practicum and gender, culture, and representation requirements for the Women’s
Studies major. It also counts as a 400 level cognate toward the Spanish major.
I immediately heard praise for Professor Cotera from both advisors and friends,
and I looked forward to taking the class even though I wasn’t sure exactly what
it would be about. At the time, I wasn’t
even sure what an oral history was or what this project entailed. Consequently,
the first day of class left me a little overwhelmed. I realized I had very
little knowledge of the Chicana feminist movement, and the responsibility of
accurately and professionally portraying each interviewee’s life was quite
daunting. However, our small class set-up will allow us to work together,
learning from and teaching each other, during each step of the interview and
archiving processes.
I am most apprehensive about the filming aspect of this project. I have very little experience in the digital media realm. I have not spent much time blogging or contributing to a website, and I’m sure that I have never worked with our recording equipment before despite taking a broadcasting class in high school. Because of this, I am very excited to learn these skills that I wouldn’t have otherwise sought out.
Prior to this course, I had never even thought about how archiving people’s personal belongings can contribute to the historical narrative of our country at large. In elementary, middle, and high school, any history I learned came from a textbook, and I always took that perspective of history to be the truth. It wasn’t until college that I learned to really question the one-sided summaries of our country’s past that I had previously learned. I realized how important it is to look at the many sides of history, being sure to include the groups that are often left out. This class has already shown me how valuable oral histories can be in creating this bigger picture of history.
I am also excited to learn about feminism from a Latina perspective. It is embarrassing to admit that as a white woman and feminist, I have not spent a lot of time thinking about how women of color or Latina women, specifically, have had very different experiences than me and faced additional oppression. I have been working on acknowledging my privilege and thinking more about societal factors that may not affect me but drastically shape the experiences of others. I have taken some classes that discuss intersectionality and focus on the prominent writings of feminist women of color, but I believe this experience will give me so much more insight into the world of feminism as a whole. I am excited to fill the gaps in my knowledge about both the civil rights and women’s rights movements during this time. Furthermore, I look forward to connecting these women’s personal experiences with a broader history that is often overshadowed by white feminism in the classroom and in the media.
You are absolutely right Taylor, learning about intersectionality by listening to the experiences of women of color takes the concept out of the abstract "theoretical" realm by connecting it to the concrete realities of day to day life. This is what Cherrie Moraga called "theory in the flesh." She writes (in This Bridge Called my Back): "A theory in the flesh means one where the physical realities of our lives — our skin color, the land or concrete we grew up on, our sexual longings — all fuse to create a politic born out of necessity. Here, we attempt to bridge the contradictions in our experience:
ReplyDeleteWe are the colored in a white feminist movement.
We are the feminists among the people of our culture.
We are often the lesbians among the straight.
We do this bridging by naming our selves and by telling our stories
in our own words."
In this class, you will be a critical witness to "theory in the flesh" as expressed through self narration and storytelling. Its a powerful experience. And don't be too afraid of the technical aspects of the course. Ultimately, what we record matters less than what we remember and how it changes us.