Mestiza Rhetoric by

Introduction

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 15:30:46 UTC

My Mexican heritage has always been significant in my life, and because of that, I have always found outlets to express my appreciation. Being Mexican-American has influenced my perspective and language, from my political stance, resilience, and diction. Through research for the tradition assignment, I stumbled upon the concept of “Mestiza Consciousness.” Gloria Azaldua coined the Term in her book Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Mestiza Consciousness expresses a rhetorical framework that arises from the complex identity formed at the intersection of multiple cultures (Mesoamerican and Western). It challenges gender, class, and racism discrimination and reclaims Indigenous spirituality and feminist culture. It resists dominant narratives and other frameworks that oppress marginalized voices.

The Hispanic women rhetoricians I already have learned about, like Dolores Huerta, are included in the padlet, and others I didn't know about, like Laureana Wright de Kleinhan. When I think about rhetoric in my Mexican household, I think of my mother, who has always had an open mind about everything from religion to parenting styles. Despite only recently understanding the concept of rhetoric, it's evident that it is extensive and a part of everyday life. This padlet offers information about "Mestiza Consciousness" and individuals who embody the Mestiza rhetoric.

Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (Primary Source)

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 15:47:54 UTC

Published in 1987, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza is a book of essays, autobiographical narratives, and poems that explore how the U.S.-Mexico border symbolizes linguistic and identity boundaries, bringing up the concept of Chicanas/os living in the "borderlands." The book employs the rhetorical framework "Mestiza Consciousness" that reflects the identities of those in the "borderlands," who embrace the uniqueness of their languages and knowledge while rejecting oppression.

Link to pdf: http://users.uoa.gr/~cdokou/TheoryCriticismTexts/Anzaldua-borderlands-la-frontera.pdf

Gloria E. Anzaldúa (1942-2004)

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 16:01:50 UTC

Her rhetorical approach to "Mestiza Consciousness" embraces the intersectionality of identities, finding strength in the complexities by being in an "in-between" that celebrates diversity. She believed no single form of expression could define the complexities of "mestiza consciousness."

Laureana Wright de Kleinhans

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 18:23:09 UTC

Laureana Wright de Kleinhans was a Mexican journalist and advocate for women's education. Her writings highlighted progressive ideas about women. She founded the journal Violetas del Anáhuac: Periódico Literario Redactado por Señoras [Violets of Anáhuac: A Literary Periodical Edited by Ladies], which included an all-women team of editors and writers. Her mestiza rhetor strived for an intellectual movement in Mexican women through logical arguments: "Educated women raise educated children." She also argues that the people should consider their indigenous roots part of their national identity.

Violets of Anáhuac: A Literary Periodical Edited by Ladies (Primary Source)

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 18:34:29 UTC

The link includes an original article, "Violets of Anáhuac: A Literary Periodical Edited by Ladies."

Juana Belén Gutiérrez de Mendoza

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 18:43:59 UTC

Juana Belén Gutiérrez de Mendoza was a Mexican writer and activist who questioned governmental policies in her newspaper, "Vésper: Justicia y Libertad." Her rhetoric of anger and sarcasm fought against oppression during a period of rebellion that continued with the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Her rhetoric as a mestiza served as an alternative rhetorical frame in which she created the identity that allowed her to challenge oppressive systems through her writing in a way that non-mestiza rhetors cannot.

Vésper: Justicia y Libertad (Primary Source)

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 19:04:55 UTC

Dolores Huerta

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 19:09:32 UTC

Dolores Huerta was a Mexican-American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, founded the United Farmworkers Association in 1962. Her rhetoric used her experiences, which embodied pathos and sought empathy for the injustices that farmers faced. Her slogan "Si, see puede" (Yes, we can) became a slogan of hope that change was possible and forthcoming. Her credibility as a Mexican woman evoked trust between her and the farm workers. The marginalized community, the farmworkers, were able to mobilize legislative change with the help of Huerta, who will forever be an influential labor activist.

KQED Archives: Dolores Huerta, 1966 Sacramento Speech (Primary Source)

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 20:20:11 UTC

Occupying Our Space (Secondary Source)

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 20:25:57 UTC

Resisting Whiteness (Secondary Source)

mariaaguilar57 — 2024-11-18 20:43:02 UTC

An article by Chad M. Nelson examines how Mexican American studies have challenged witness in education discourses and curriculum. The rhetorical strategies that resist whiteness are made by cultural pride and the ongoing fight for the recognition of Mexican American history. Mexican American studies explore themes of intersectionality and oppression, which create an upsurge of advocacy for representation and a fight against systemic oppression.

Link: https://web-p-ebscohost-com.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=7e50f3ee-1150-4c37-b487-790abdb19470%40redis