Chicana Feminist Epistemological Standpoint PDF

Jean Ait Belkhir, Race, Gender & Class Journal Toward A Chicana Feminist Epistemological Standpoint: Theory at the Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender Author(s): Theresa A. Martínez Source: Race, Gender & Class, Vol. 3, No. 3 (1996), pp. 107-128 Published by: Jean Ait Belkhir, Race, Gender & Cl...

Jean Ait Belkhir, Race, Gender & Class Journal Toward A Chicana Feminist Epistemological Standpoint: Theory at the Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender Author(s): Theresa A. Martínez Source: Race, Gender & Class, Vol. 3, No. 3 (1996), pp. 107-128 Published by: Jean Ait Belkhir, Race, Gender & Class Journal Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41675338. Accessed: 25/07/2014 20:42 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at. http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].. Jean Ait Belkhir, Race, Gender & Class Journal is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Race, Gender &Class. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  Race, Gender& Class: Vol3, No 3, 1996 (107-128) Toward A Chicana Feminist Epistemological Standpoint Theory at the Intersection of Race, Class , and Gender Theresa A. Martinez, Sociology The Universityof Utah Shewhoknows cannot she ofthem speak without ofherself, speaking without ofhistory involving her that alsoknows story, shecannot a gesture make without thetoandfro activating movement oflife. Trinh T.Minh-ha askmyself:...1must Whereisthe love? Howismylife work toendthese serving these tyrannies, ofsacred corrosions HowamI earning possibility? inourworldwide membership movement for andself-respect self-determination June Jordan Theory- thatohso elusivewellofentrenched meaning. Itcanopendoorsto thesocialworldbothinsightful andconcrete. Itcan also be usedtojustify academic and marginalization silencing of voiceswhich arenot as which familiar, are "other." WhiletheWebster's II New Riverside Dictionaryassures us that is "a theory general principleformulated to accountforcertainobservablephenomena," and"a bodyof principles the or governing study practice ofan artor it discipline," also assuresus that theoryis "an or assumption guess" (1984:710-1 1). Theresa A.Martinez isanassistant ofsociology professor ofUtah. attheUniversity and Herteaching researchinterests include ofrace, theintersection andgender, class, thesociology andthe ofdeviance, sociologyofculture.Herrecent workincludes "EmbracingtheOutlaw: attheIntersection Deviance of Race,Class,andGender," (UtahLawReview,February and"Popular 1994,), MusicintheClassroom: Race, Teaching andGender Class, with Culture" Popular (Teaching ,July Sociology she 1994).Currently, isworkingona booktentatively titled, Chicana Living intheUnited Chicana States: ThinkingonRace, Class,andGender. This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 108 TheresaA,Martinez Inmydiscipline, sociology, is nothing theory ifnotgrand.RobertK. Merton contendsthatthe quest for an all-embracing,unifiedtheoryis a challenging commitmentandthat Anyphilosopher oftheeighteenth andearlynineteenth centuries worthhis salt had to develophisownphilosophical system... Each was a system personalbid for thedefinitive overviewoftheuniverse of nature matter, and man.(Merton1967:46) A loftyideal,one mightsurmise.At thesametime,it evokesamusing images. Forinstance, onecan imagineMarx,Durkheim, andWeberobserving the social worldlikevarious"professional peepingtoms"(Berger1963), andrunning hometoscribblenoteson scratch pads- tryingtomakelargeandgrandiose senseof the social world,universe,community, and last but not least,milieu(always pronounced inproperpseudo-French). I becameentwined intheirsocialmilieuas a studentsociologistjust enteringtheuniversity.I was theproductof a processof academic socialization whichembedded theideas,thetheories,theepistemologiesof thesethinkers intomyconsciousness. I readthem,stewedoverthem,debatedthem, wasfrustratedbythem,andgotangry atthem.I cherished whattheysaid;I despised whattheysaid.WhatI didnotrealizethenbutwhatI realizenowis thattheywere simply Theywereinfacttelling"stories," storytellers. oftencalledtheories, aboutthe world.Although theywerelimitedbothbyexperience andtime,theseverystorytellers were able to setforthwiththeir"stories"- theirtheories - theboundaries,facades, buildingstructure,mortarandbonesofwhatwe knowas sociologicalthought. My academictraining taughtme to placetheirwayofknowing thesocial worldina sphereabovemyown,andthiseffectively silencedmyversionofthestory whenitdiffered fromtheirs.WhenI didn'tunderstand thetheoriesoftheseeminent men,I assumed thattherewas somethingwrongwithmysideofthestory. Mymother askedmeifI wasdoingwellinschool. OfcourseI was; I hadlearnedthestory, their version,verywell... tothenegationofmyownandevenmymother's.Itwas when I was doingmyresearchonbattered womeninNewMexico- thedissertation - that I realizedthatsometimes thestorieswereverydifferent andsometimes, blesstheir hearts,Marx,Weber,andDurkheim didn'thavea clue. I cametoknowtheworkof Gloria Anzaldúa. I came to readotherradicalwomenof color.I encountered a Chicanadiscourseonourhistory, and work,poetry, prose. I was amazedathow very differentthestoriescouldbe told.ButbeforeI cametothisrealization I hada great dealofunlearning andlearning todo. Thispresent workis aboutthatunlearning andlearning process.Whilethe is paper by no means a completedenial of Marx,Weber, andDurkheimandtheother "mastersof sociologicalthought"thatdominated and myundergraduate graduate This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  & Race, Gender, Class ChicanaFeminist 109 itis aboutaffirming training, other waysofknowing thesocialworld.Butchiefly, this paperis about autobiography. It is about mystory, mypersonalhistoryas a Chicana, andas a feminist.In trying toknowandunderstand I takea step mypersonalhistory, thatsharpens myabilityto envision the socialworld within the life,as well individual as theindividual lifewithin thesocialworld,thatis boththeorizing andstoiytelling. Thispaper,whilenotanachievement ofa completedChicanafeministepistemological is a standpoint, beginning step taken toward itsaccomplishment andtowardaffirming itstimeliness anditssignificance intheworldofacademiaandineveryday life. Being Chicana/Being a Scholar: Grounds for Questioning Unlearning andlearning tobecomea sociologistentaileda lengthy process in whichI beganto formthebasisformytheorizing as a Chicanain a whitemale world.Takingtheory coursesas an undergraduateandlateras a graduate I student, soonfound ofsociologicalthought" thatsomeoftheclassic"masters whilesometimes speakingto myviewoftheworldoftenfellshortofa thisviewthatflowedfroma heritagein whichpersonalexperience was thehallmark ofunderstanding.Others, whilestillremote,appealedtomysenseoftheworldmore.Whilewhitefeminists did value personalexperience, theywere seemingly of fixedin theelement gender, themajorelements ignoring andclass.InsteadI foundmyviewofthe ofrace/ethnicity world validatedin worksby radicalwomenof color and Chicanahistorians, researchers, andpoets.Thesewomenaffirmed novelists, myownepistemological standpoint andhelpedto giveme grounds forquestioning myimplicitandexplicit theoreticaltraining. Karl Marx, Max Weber,and Emile Durkheimwere three"mastersof sociologicalthought"whoappealedto me in variouswaysbutfailedme in others. Marxwas almosta herotomeinmygrowing up yearsas hetangledwiththeevilof anditsprogeny:alienation capitalism andsocial (MarxandEngels1955; inequality Marx 1956; Marx and Engels 1978). Weber was a thinkerwho I perceivedas akintomyself intuitively inhisconceptof verstehen(Weber1964). He recognized thatunderstanding humanactionsmeantdelvingintothe subjectivemeanings placedonthoseactions.Itwas withDurkheim individuals thatI was first introduced tothenatureofthesacredandtheprofane. His discussionofreligionwas sometimes to take givenmyunique Catholicupbringing; difficult however,it also had a tremendous impact on theway I understand even religion today. However, neither Marx,norWeber,norDurkheim, discussedwomento any least greatextent, of all women ofcolor.Therewerealso importantfacetsto their which theorizing I found Marx problematic. profoundly acceptedthe notionof which femininity was so well the by bourgeoisie propagated (Thonnessen 1983), and This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 110 TheresaA. Martinez hadlesstosayaboutwomenthanEngels(MarxinKandal1988:280). Weberwas the romantic" "patriarchal whobelievedthat"scholarly workshouldbe valuefree,"and that"passionate concerns overvaluesthreatened objectiveevaluation ofevidenceby socialscientists" (Kandal 1988:155; Shils andFinch 1949). This stancewas deeply to opposite my own understandingas a Chicana.Although I would nothaveusedthe words"epistemologica! in standpoint"myundergraduate days, I knew even thenthat theknowledge validationprocessI had grownup with,and had seenin my mother, brothersandsisterswas,ifanything, valueladen.We validatedourtruth on thebasis ofourintuitiveandvalue-laden passions.Forme,emotion didnotcloudreasoning, butreasoningcloudedmyemotion. Durkheim saw thedangersofsexisminnineteenth centurysocieties, accordingtoTerry Kandal(1988:88);yet,hewas verymucha "man" ofhistimes,andwroteinSuicide: "With a fewdevotionalpracticesandsomeanimals, theold unmarried woman'slifeis full"(Durkheim 1951:215). AlthoughI feltmoreaffinity withGeorgSimmeland WalterBenjamin's theories,neither discussedwomenofcolortoanyextent. Simmel'sworkspokeabout reallifeexperience, aboutcoquetry andfashion, andlectured on thesociologyofsmell (Coser1971). Hisworkresembled a "wealth ofmemorable and"meander- vignettes," ingenlightenments" (Frisby1981:69), likesnapshotsofa vividtapestrydrawnfrom truetolifecolors,fashioned (Frisby1981).Benjaminwas also a impressionistically kindofimpressionistic who,onesenses,was quiteintenseabouteveryday painter life andthesocialworld.His worklikeSimmel'salso soughtto "capture therichdetails ofsociallifeamidthetotality whichmakesup societyitselF(Martinez1984-85:114). Simmel's andBenjamin's worktaughtmethatthesociologist couldbe a visionary-a person whotakesrisksandpushesboundaries, andinmycase,cognizant ofgoddess amongtheminutiae. WhileSimmelandBenjamin appealedmoretomysenseoftheworldandmy placeinit,theywerenotas closelytiedtomyworldview as I wouldhaveliked.What was theoryto Marx,Durkheim, andWeberas wellas SimmelandBenjamin, was limited infocustotheauthor'scontext,and thatcontextwas and white,male, Europea - somethingI neverfully untilI readworkbywomenofcolorlikePatricia appreciated HillCollins.Sheaptlytermsthiscontexta "Eurocentric masculinist"epistemology as opposed to her "Afrocentric feministepistemology" (Collins 1991:203). Collins suggeststhattheoristsfromthistradition arepartandparcelofa validation process whichdecides"whichversionof truth will prevail"(Collins 1991:203). Barbara Christian discussesmuchthesame issue as she alludesto thefact"thatWestern scholars havelongbelieved theirideastobe universal" (1990:338). She suggeststhat theNew Criticism, thenewliterarycritical is theory, becoming thedragonitsought todestroy. ForI feelthatthenewemphasis onliterary critical is as hegemonic theory as This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  & Race, Gender, Class ChicanaFeminist the worldwhichit attacks.I see thelanguageit createsas one which mystifies thanclarifies rather ourcondition, makingitpossiblefora few peoplewho know thatparticular languageto thecriticalscene-that control language surfaced, interestingly enough,just when theliteratureofpeoples ofcolor,ofblackwomen,ofLatinAmericans, ofAfricansbegan moveto to the"center" (Christian 1990:338) PatriciaHill CollinsandBarbaraChristian, alongwithwomenofcolorin manydisciplines,were all to beginning question thatwhich is inviolableinthecanon ofacademiclearning:theory. But,whywouldtheyquestionthetheories whichhad stoodfrom timeimmemorial, orso we reasonedingraduate school,as theepitomeof what "theory" shouldbe? Theyquestionedthembecause thesetheoriesoften abandoned, neglected,dismissed, theirworlds,whichwere andsilencedtheirrealities, differently positioned inrelation towhitemen,towhitewomen,andtomenofcolor (Blea 1988;Hurtado 1989;Sandoval1990). WhileMarx,Weber,andDurkheim and forthatmatter,SimmelandBenjamin- white,European, males- theorized aboutthe social world,theircontextslimitedtheirunderstanding of thedynamicsaffecting womenofcolor.Thesetheorists' views,limitedbyhistory andcontext, erasedthe complex interlockingsystems ofoppression thatPatriciaHillCollinscallsthe"matrix of domination" (1991:225) whererace, class, and genderexist along axes of differential oppression.Withthewriting ofPatriciaHill Collins,newpossibilities have emerged inwriting theory thatincludesa muchmorerichly, multifaceted perspective notlimited to gender, class standing, andrace,anddefinitely or ethnicity notsome quasi-quantitativeaddition ofthese. Whitefeminist theoryhasvalidatedindividualwomen'sexperience.Ithas validatedthe"subject"ratherthanthe"object"of researchas a living,breathing, individual womanUnliketraditional thefeminist theorists, theorist andresearcherwas freetocareaboutherinformants- hersubjectsofstudy. Thefeminist was not theorist ashamedtofeelaccountable tothewomenshestudied(Oakley1981; Jagger1989). feminist Further, theoryvalidateda woman'sstandpointas uniquefromthatofmen's (Hartsock1987). Dorothy Smith'sstandpointtheory, partofPatriciaHill a definite Collins'work,openednewavenuesof approachto socialscienceresearch(Smith 1981, 1987). Smithsuggeststhatourviewofthesocialworld,our"standpoint" is a definite productof oursocial with positioning regard to ourgender,oursocialclass, ourracialorethnicgroup,andotherfacetsofoursocialposition. Yet,womenofcolorwerenotso mucha partofthis"feminist"methodology practicesin Women's and theorizing.We were,in fact,subjectto "exclusionary Studies"(Baca Zinn,Cannon,Higginbotham andDill 1990:29). Thisis partand of parcel beingdifferently positionedinrelation to whitewomen(Blea, 1988; Hurtado womenofcoloroftentanglewiththe 1989;Sandoval1990).As thesepoemsdescribe, This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 112 TheresaA. Martinez ofdifferential reality experience: I wonderwhytherearewomenbornwithsilverspoonsintheirmouths Womenwhohaveneverknowna dayofhunger Womenwhohaveneverchangedtheirownbed linen AndI wonderwhytherearewomenwhomustwork Womenwhomustcleanotherwomen'shouses Womenwhomustsellshrimps forpenniesa day Womenwhomustsewotherwomen'sclothes Whomustcook Whomustdie In childbirth In dreams(Lim 1990:26) whenI was growing up,peopletoldme I was darkandI believedmyowndarkness inthemirror,inmysoul,myownnarrowvision whenI was growing up,mysisters withfairskingotpraised fortheirbeauty,andinthedark I fellfurther, crushedbetweenhighwalls whenI was growingup,I readmagazines andsawmovies,blondemoviestars,whiteskin, sensuouslipsandtobe elevated, tobecome a woman,a desirablewoman,I begantowear imaginarypale skin(Wong1981) Andwhite feminist theoryhadalso neglected thevoicesofwomenofcolor, oftenregardinggenderand onlygenderas thebondand platform on whichthe women's movement wastobe groundedThiswas incongruoustowomenofcolorlike myself- Chicanas,African American women,Asianwomen,Latinas,andAmerican Indianwomen,whoknowthatourracial/ethnic couldnotnoreverwouldbe identity separatefrom our Norma genderidentity. thewhitefeminist Alarcónarticulates so neglect eloquently. Sincethesubject offeminist theoryanditssingletheme- gender- go largely its unquestioned, point of view tendsto suppressandrepressvoicesthat its question authority... Thismay account fortheinability to includethe voices of womenof color intofeminist discourse,thoughtheyare not necessarily inthe under-represented readinglist.(Alarcón1990:360) This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  & Race, Gender; C/q&y ChicanaFeminist 1JJ In readingAlarcónandotherwomenofcolor,I readtheirvoices- voices oftensilencedbywhitemen,bymenofcolor,andbywhitewomen.Thewritings of thesewomenofcolorwasandisbraveanddangerous.Questioning "theory,"oftenthe trademark ofone'sdiscipline, nottomention theunderpinnings ofdominant views,is to problematic say theleast.The personalexperiences ofbell hooks in thewakeof Ain'tI A Woman (hocks1990), and Patricia Williamsafterher questioning a legal of scholar's of and teaching legalconcepts theory (Williams 1991), come acrossas essays on strength inthefaceofpainful opposition. Thesewomen of color encouraged me tobelievethattheworldis notMarx-,Weber-,andDurkheim- centered. As Patricia Hill Collins'worksuggested, "[j]ustas thematerialrealities ofthepowerful andthe dominatedproduceseparatestandpoints, each groupmay also have distinctive epistemologies ortheoriesofknowledge" (Collins1991:204). Itwouldfollow,then, thatI hadbotha uniquestandpoint anda uniqueepistemology as a Chicana,onewhich wasdistinctfromEuropeanmaletheorists inmydiscipline.(I believeitis criticalto addthatcontemporary socialscientistsandotherscholarshavedonemorethorough- going work in the area of oppressionalongdifferential axes likerace,class, and This gender. paper mentíaisonly a few of the scholars thatcould havebeenincluded, inparticular,theworkofMichaelOmiandHowardWinant, BonnieMitchellandJoe Feagin, PaulGilroy, TriciaRose,JamesScott,CarolStack,HenryGiroux,andPaulo Freirehavealso influenced mythinking). A Chicana Voice, A Chicana Discourse A compelling Chicanadiscoursebecameevident frommyreading.I could hearinthewritings ofChicanasthevocalizationofmyownhistory, myownissuesand concerns.Deena Gonzalez,VickyRuiz, TeyDiana Rebolledoand Eliana Rivero capture theChicanavoiceinhistorical time.Deena Gonzaleztracesracism,classism, and sexismon theNew Mexicanborderthrough thelegendof "La Tules" Doña GertrudisBarceló,a businesswomanwhoshockedangloswithherfrankness butmost of all theaudacityofherentrepreneurship. GonzalezarguesthatLa Tuleswas a southwestern femalefigureused by anglowriterssuchas JosiahGregg,to vilify Mexicansas dirty, promiscuous, heathen, savages;while,implyingthecleanliness, righteousness, andcivilization religiosity, oftheangloAmerican. Gonzálezsuggests thatDoña Gertrudis Barceló,La Tules, was an extraordinary womanwhosoughtto survive angloencroachmentandgambled onaccommodation. She epitomizes notonly theturbulence ofthetimes-life onthechanging borderlandsofthesouthwest,butalso "contactand conflict betweenindependent femaleCatholicsand westering male Protestants"(González1993:86). I mightadd,theywereMexicanAmerican female CatholicsandanglomaleProtestants. Vicki Ruiz discussestheimpactofAmericanization forceson adolescent This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 114 TheresaA. Martinez MexicanAmerican womenfrom1920 to 1950. Ruizdocuments racism,sexism,and classismthrough theeffects offorcessuchas education, employment, andthemedia onthelivesoftheseyoung womencomingofage during thistimeperiod.She asserts thattheseforces tensions causedintergenerational betweentheyoungwomenandtheir parents,and this,in turn,forced theyoung women to makeprofound lifechoices. However, Ruizarguesthattheseforces arenotnecessarily harbingersofacculturation, but findsinsteadthat"theideologicalimpactof materialacculturation has been overrated"(Ruiz 1993: 123). Ruiztypifies theadolescent MexicanAmerican woman as a womanwhofacedandcopedwitha bicultural worldofcontradictions- "thelure ofHollywoodandthethreat ofdéportation1' (Ruiz 1993:123).She was a voicethat stroveto achievetheAmericandream,butin themain,was evermindful of her heritageandherpeople(Ruiz 1993: 122). TeyDianaRebolledo andElianaRivero(1993) discussthenarrative voices ofthreeNew Mexicanwomen- CleófasJaramillo, FabiolaCabeza de Baca Gilbert and Nina Otero- Warren,as writsof discontent in the 1930s-writsof discontent against theprevailingforcesofracism,classism,andsexism.Specifically, Rebolledo and Riveroidentify strategies ofresistance usedbythesewriters. First,theyname themselvesandtheirculture inthevoidingerasuresimposedbytheAnglocultural invasion. Theynamea "colonizedidentity...bydetailingthecultural signsembedded in it" (RebolledoRivero1993:18),espousingsocialbanditry in detailedandname filledaccountswhich"fillthephysicalandpsychological spaceofthebookwiththe historicalimprint ofculturalhegemony from thepastas a recallofcultural memory" (Rebolledo andRivero1993:18). Second,theyrecallthepastwitha sentimental nostalgiathat"questionspresentauthority" (Rebolledoand Rivero 1993:18) in focusing notontheindividual butonthecommunity, andinfirmly placingthepastin thecenter andmarginalizing thepresent.Third,theybindandblendseveraldifferent genresinone storytelling experience,mixing"theoralwiththewritten, history with creative autobiography,recipesandnarrative, familyhistory andromance" (Rebolledo andRivero1993: 18). Thisproducesa formofremembering thatis deliberatein its collectivityas opposedto individuality. Fourth, theybecamea feminine discourse, particularly in theirinclusionof "women's work"~recipes, tradition,andromance (RebolledoandRivero1993:18).Last,theirtranslation fromSpanishto Englishis itself a critiqueofangloculture,accordingtotheseauthors, becausetranslation signals thelimitations ofanglos-theirinability tounderstand therefined Spanishtraditions (RebolledoandRivero1993: 18-19). TheChicana's historical voiceis oneofresistance, humorandwit. resilience, I recognized and myfamily myheritage inthesevoices- strugglingagainstdiscrimina- tionina racist, classisi,andsexistsociety;struggling tokeepalivefamily heritageand ina changing history timewitha marginal status;andstruggling forself,fora definite femalevoice in a worldwheretheethnicfemalehad littleifany"airtime."These This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  & Race, Gender; C/asj ChicanaFeminist 115 themesare evenmoreapparent in theworkofMaxineBaca Zinn,Denise Segura, ChristineMarieSierra,Cynthia Orozco,AlmaGarciaandNormaAlarcónas they discussthefamily, thelabormarket, highereducationandfeminism. Thesewriters also stresstheblindsideswithintheChicano/a community, Chicano/a studies,and anglo feminism where the concepts of sexism and racism, respectively,havebeen ignored or "added onH at best. Maxine Baca Zinn stresses the negativeimpactof structural economic in changes society on the Chicano/a family (as wellas theAfrican American family and otherfamilies ofcolor) (Zinn 1989). However, Zinnadds,even structural analysesof Chicano/a fail families toadd gender into the thatis, "fail picture, toconsidertheinterplay ofgender-based assumptions with structuralracism" (Zinn 1989:874).Denise Segura(1993) documents thetripleoppression whichChicanas face inthelaborforce.Segurarecognizesthethefaceandfactofracismandclass oppression as documented byMarioBarrera(1979); however, takestheanalysisa stepfurther to include the axis ofsexism. Her analysisis echoed byChristineMarie Sierra(1993) as shediscusseshigher education whereshefocusesonthetripleaxes ofracism,classism, andsexism, recognizingthattheissueofpatriarchy outsideofrace andclassoppression hasonlyrecently beenquestioned. Sierra'spointis assertedalso byCynthia OrozcowhofindstheChicanocommunity andChicanostudieswanting withregardto issuesfacingChicanas(1993), andwhorevises"El Plan de Santa Barbara"with"ElPlande SantayBarbara"to "encompass thefeminist voiceitlacked in 1969" (1993:15). AlmaGarciaarguesthatChicanashavebeen "tackedon" to ChicanoStudiesas fragmented pieces-as "GreatWomen,""Workers," or "Women." (Garcia1990:26). She advocatesthatChicanasbe "a vitalcomponent" (1993:25) of anyChicanostudiesprogram andthatwe pursuetheChicanawitha viewtoward synthesisand wholeness.NormaAlarcónemphasizesthatanglofeminists have appropriated or "addedon" ThisBridgeCalled My Back, themultiplevoices of Chicanas and otherwomenof color,onlyto negatethesevoices in practiceby assuming thatthecommondenominator ofoppression is woman/women, excluding theimportance ofotherfactors inoppression, namely, racism.ForAlarcónthewhite feminist"episteme" is missingthemarkand"epistemology outinsucha is flattened waythatwe lose sightofthecomplexandmultiple waysin whichthesubjectand objectofpossibleexperience areconstituted" (Alarcón1990:361). Intheworldofcultural production,AngieChabram Dernersesian,TeyDiana Rebolledo andElianaRiverofurther extendthediscourseon theChicana. Angie ChabramDernersesian's focusis on sexismas she writesaboutChicanacultural productions ofthe1970s. Thesecultural she asserts,are likeraised productions, voices in a roomfullof "malehegemonic constructions ofgroupidentity" (Derne- rsesian1993:39)- raisedvoiceswhichsplittheChicano/a We willnot, subjectivity. thesevoicesremindme,sitback andtakea "beating" ofourconsciousness, or be drownedoutbytheChicanocollective, male,voice, emergein andessentially but and as poetry prose Guadalupes with running shoes-empowered andresistant. This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 116 TheresaA. Martinez TheChicanaliterary voiceofthe1990s,according toRebolledoandRivero, is characterized new byimportant developments andtrendson thetopicsofrace,class, andgender. Thefirst is the development emergence ofthe conscious Chicanaherself - "thegrowth ofthepersonalessay"(1993:25). Unlikeearlierliterature inwhichthe writeris inferred fromherwritten words,theChicanaemergesas a full-blown speakingperson in her contemporary writing.She firmly statesher mindin a "deliberatelyconscious essay"(1993:25). The seconddevelopment is the"redemption of themale relationships in thelivesof Chicanas"(1993:27). Whileearlywriting reflected anger,challengeornon-inclusion ofpatriarchalmalefigures, andconcomi- tantrecovery ofthefemalefigures oftheirpasts;contemporary writers recognizethe male figuresin theirlivesas morecomplex,less monolithic. Themaleemergesin contemporary writing as less of a monster andperhapsas moreof a sympathetic character.A thirdnewareaofdevelopment involvesbeingmoreopenaboutand dealing more with frankly sexuality, where Chicanas emergeas "audaciousandeven outrageous"(1993:28). Theyemerge as Chicana lesbianswho refuseto silence "taboo" voicesthattheir"mothers warnedthemagainst." Theyemergeas womenwho needandwantsexfrom theirpartners, the exploding mythology surrounding the"good as girl."Theyemerge fully conscious, fullysexualbeings with control oftheir bodies andtheirlives.Theyalso emergeas womenwhohavebeenraped,whohavebeen sexuallyviolated,whohavesurvived violence."Whatcomesforth clearly...is the acceptance offemale desireby all the writers,theacceptance beinga womanwith of all itsjoysandtravails" (Rebolledo and Rivero 1993:29). ThelasttrendRebolledo andRiverodocument is the"concern thatChicanas have always had about borders"(1993:30). Chicanas are inhabitants of the borderlands-the landsontheU.S. Mexicanborder, as wellas thecrossroads between cultures.Theythemselves inhabitmultiplespaces betweencultures, ethnicities, genders, andclasses. They are outsiders andinsiders;they inhabit thecenterandthe margin; theyareselfand are and other;they subject object.Living in theborderlands canbreak, jar,andexplodesafehavens.Yet,itis knowledge oftheborderlands- this and which whatGloriaAnzaldúa calls a "mestizaconscious- history reality, produces ness" (1987:77), a consciousness whichis multi-faceted andmulti-voiced. It is a bridgeconsciousness which between translates culturesand peoples. Most of all, the mestizaconsciousness containswithinitselfboththeclashof differences andthe powerto sustainthatclash.For,themestizaconsciousness hasdevelopedstrategies ofsurvival of capable withstanding a complexandshifting multi-layered, world. Whilethethemesapparent in an emergent Chicanadiscourse- themesof discriminationalong the axes of race, class and gender;themesof struggleand resistancein a patriarchaldominant society, a sexist ethniccommunity, and an exclusionaryfeminism; themes of witand humor; themes of and defining seekinga womanself- speaktomyownlifethemes andmyself as a theorist, itis thislastliterary This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  ChicanaFeminist & Race, Gender,Class 117 themediscussedin Rebolledoand Riverowhichspeaksmostfundamentally and loudestItis GloriaAnzaldúa'swords- the"mestiza consciousness" (1 987:77) - which helpedme to realizethattheorizing is noton someabstract planewhichI cannot reach. Her essaysin ThisBridgeCalled My Back, and MakingFace, Making Soul/HaciendoCaras, aretestimonies to theresilienceofa womanwhostruggles and againstdogmatic hegemonic patriarchies, racist,middleclassmatriarchies, and benton makinginvisiblethesimultaneous experience ofrace/ethnicity, gender,and class,nottomention In sexuality. fact,"[Consciousness as a siteof multiplevoicings is the theoretical " subject,par excellence,of Bridge (Alarcón1990:365). Gloria Anzaldúa taughtmethatmylifewas theoretical andthatsearching mylifeexperience wouldgivemeinsight intothesocietyinwhichI lived. To liveintheBorderlands meansyou areneither hispana indianegraespañola nigabacha, eresmestiza , mulata, half-breed caughtinthecrossfire betweencamps whilecarrying all fiveracesonyourback notknowing whichsidetoturnto,runfrom... To surviveintheBorderlands youmustlivesinfronteras be a crossroads.(Anzaldúa1987:194,195) Thesewomen, theseextraordinary ofcolor,theseChicanas, radicalfeminists me and gave hope taught me much about courage. Itwas withtheirhelpthatI began torecognizemy own vision,ifonlyshadowy - onewhich was unfettered bythinking and of processes ways knowing that were notmy own, whichplacedvalueon personal historyandexperience, self-expression, andyes,love(Jordan1990). relationships, Infact, I canalsotheorize, andmyversionisjustas real,as relevant, as significant as Marx,Weber,andDurkheim's orevenSimmel'sorBenjamin's. I havecometothink oftheorizing as storytelling- weaving one'sunderstanding oftheworldintoa coherent tale,notunlikeBenjamin's whogiveadvicewithin storytellers theframework ofthe notunlike story, themanystorytellersI haveencounteredinmypastandinmypresent. Theorizing as Storytelling: Where Autobiography Meets Theory When I theorize, I tella story, andbythisI trytounderstand,trytomake senseof,myuniverse. Thisis mytheorizing, This mystorytelling. is theplace andthe movement whereI wasbom,andwhereI grew.Itis also myplaceandmymovement inrelation tomyfamily, mycommunity, andmysociety.Itis formea journeyofrapid andslow-motion memorieswhereI connectwithmyself andwithso manyothers. This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 118 TheresaA. Martinez I remember wakingup to thesoundof mymamacleaningbeans in the kitchen.I am on thecouchin thelivingroomwhereshe andI sleep.I haveseven brothers all sleepingin strangeandprobably grotesqueshapesinthebackroom.I havefoursisterswhosleepinthemiddleroom.Theoldergirlsarejustbeginning to wearmakeup buttheyounger oneslisten tomama'sadmonition, "Onlyputas(whores) dothat" I canhearmymamainthekitchen thebeansreadytocook. I loveto getting hearthatsound,I knowhowgoodtheyaregoingtobe. Noticemydadis notaround. I knowthatmamaand daddydon'tsee eyeto eye.I remember angryvoices,my mother'sangeratmemories offistsandpain,andbeersomewhere mixedin. Jealousy. Mama andchildren afraidto go tothefrontdoor,forfear,forfeartheoutsideworld wouldfindoutEvenwhenI wassmallI knewthathehaddonesomething tohurther. We do almosteverything together,mamaand I. We go to theSalvation Army, therummage sales,thechurch, andthecommodity house.Commodity cheese is thebest.Mama andI go tothecommodity houseandgetcheeseandotherthings, likepeanutbutter. I tellmyfriends atschoolaboutmyyenfor"commodity" cheese.All ofa suddenI realizethatI've saidsomethingI shouldn't. It'sthewaytheylookatme funny.Youfooltyou'vejustletthemknowyou'reon welfare.Butit'sokay,I'mamong friends. Manyofthemknowwhatit'saboutandtheydon'tteaseme aboutit.Manyof thesekidsarepoor.Theyhavetostruggle as muchas we do. Theynevermakefunof whatwewearorhowourhouselodes.Everybody's houselooksprettymuchthesame. MyoldestbrothersgointotheMarineCorps.I thinkitis spelled"MarineC- o-r-e."Myoldestbrother wentto Vietnam.I don'tknowwherethatis. I writeshort letters tobothofthemalongwiththeotherbrothers andsistersandmymama. She and I are theonlyones homesinceI don'tgo to schoolyet. We praytherosary togethereveryday.We listen toWalter Cronkite everyeveningnews. Mymamacries everytime. Shewatches thecasualty reportsanddoesn'tsaya word.Itisn'tuntillater thatI realizethatthecasualtyreportsarereportssenthometo a lotof Chicano/a, and Black, poor mothers andfathers. Both ofmy brotherssendhometheirpaychecks so we can eat at home. Dad has beenoutofthehousefora longwhile.My older sisters gotoworkandtheyounger onessellsquashorrosaries.We getoffwelfareand I missthecommodity cheese. We finally moveoutofthe"poorhouse"as mymamacalledit-thebarrio others callit,andI canstillremember missingmyverybestfriend - a Chicana,theboy I hada crushon - a cuteChicano,andtheboywhohada crushon me-another less Chicano. interesting We move tothenortheast the heights; place where peoplewith moremoneylive.I'mgoingtoa different Catholicschool.In thatpeculiarinstitution you never mention"commodity" cheese. I remember some of mymostpainful momentsat thismostly whiteschoolwhereI sufferthrough "spie,""greaser,"and Mexican."No onethereis Chicano/a "dirty except me and thisone who girl they call This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  & Race, Gender; Class ChicanaFeminist 119 Sandóvalas iftheyweresayingHsandoh vull"withan accentoverthe"oh".I couldn't believe she pronounced hernameso badly. It was a reminder of theintolerant English-only which mentality devalueda beautiful so language much so thatmaybeher wanted parents to how desperately forget to saythe wordsormaybetheyneverknew how. Wehavetomoveoutandintoa different neighborhood. We don'tstayvery longin thishouse eitherandit'sin thishouse we that learnmy dad is dead. Mama doesn'twantus to go tothefuneral. Thethreeyoungest don'tgo. I hardly children knewhim,really.I haveonlyvaguerecollections ofwhohe is,andhavea hardtime what recalling he lookslike. AllI know is that mama unemotional is curiously andthe otherbrothersand sistersdon'tknowwhereto look. Thatwas 1968. My family mourned Martin, Bobby,andFelipe. Duringthistime,someofmybrothers andsistersarebecoming very"aware" things.Itis a timeinwhichI havetodecidejustwhatI should andveryinto"radical" call myself.Whilemymamahas alwaysinsistedthatwe are Spanish,one ofmy brothersarguesthatsheis wrong.He tellsherthatwe area mixture ofSpanishand so thatmeansthatwe are,infact,MexicanAmerican. Indian, Moreover, he tellsher thatwe are MexicanAmericanswitha consciousness, and thatmeanswe are "Chícanos."Mama is stubbornaboutmaintaining the word Spanishand later compromises withthewordHispanic-born and bredof theU.S. Census.I often wonderedwhyshe shouldfeelthisway.I laterrealizedthatmamamusthavehad deep-down reasonsforfearing andhatingthesewords- MexicanandChicano- and theyprobablyhad a lot to do withthefactthatshe lovedus. She neverwanted anythingtohurtus anditis morethanlikelyshehadseenpeoplehurttremendously over wordslikeMexicanand Chicano. At thistime,I decidethatI am Mexican American butwillacceptChicanoorHispanic.WhileI'mstudying ingradeschool withthenunsI'malso listeningtomybrothers andsistersaboutthe BlackPanthers - to we subscribe theirnewspaper.My brother is tellingme about Che Guevara, Chairman Mao,andplaying songsbytheLastPoetsthatsoundlikechants- forefathers ofrap.Atthetablewe aretalking aboutso manydifferent topics- history, literature, music,psychology,you name it.I writemyeighthgrade termpaperonMarxism.It is fourteen pageslongwithbibliography. I've gottohandittothosenuns. I getthroughhighschoolata pace notfastenough.I'mtoofat,toougly,too many pimples, biggoggleglasses.I don'tdate.I'mtheonewhois smart.Mynext too oldersisteris "thebabe."I readanawfullot.I lovetoread. Thewhitesandtheblacks at our schoolhave theirown sidesof themainhallway.The Chicanos/as have a stairwell.The Chicanasdon'tlikemeverymuch.TheythinkI think I'm"toobad"- collegeprepcoursesdon'tjibe withthem.Theydon'tthink I'mmaterialfor7a raza.* Yet, I've gotthelast nameMartinez. This effectively bars mostfriendshipsin This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 120 TheresaA. Martinez Advanced Placement English.Thisis a timewhenI see otherswiththeirfathers and know really that I had never a father. I begin to feel with angry him andto misshim. I writea poemformycreativewriting class whichwonan awardthathighschool junioryear...Itgoeslikethis... I remembergoingtomeetDaddy bythebackyard fence andI alwayswondered whyMama neverlethimin butonlywatchedus froma windowinthehouse(Martinez1977:41) Theuniversityis verydifferent. Itsmainlyaboutthisclassbusiness,which I knowI cando. I'mreadingMarx,Weber,andDurkheim. Everybody is so surethat theyknow everything, thattheirwordsare thewordsof mostsignificance.I'm convincedthattheyunderstand lifeon someunintelligible planewhichI can never hopetoreachandleaveitatthat.ButI neverreallyquiteagreewiththemeither. I'm notso surewhyI don'tagreewiththem, butI amsurethattheyknownothing about whatIVegonethrough, andthatmusthavesomesignificance. Doesn'tit? WhenI get mydegree, I decidetotry outgraduateschoolattheUniversityofTexasatAustin.My oldestbrother tellsmethathe can'tsee anysoundreasoning behindthismove.After all,I haveonlytwochoicesinthislife-eithermarriageorthenunhood. Mamadoesn't contradicthim.Hermessagehasprecededandsuperseded his. She hasmadeitclear thatanyoneofherdaughters cando anything.Thisfeelsrighttome.She andI need a breakfromeachother.I amconstantly snappingatherandsheatme.She doesn't wanttoletmego butI go. I runhomefrom Texas.I missmymamaandmyhome,andUT Austinfeels veryuncomfortable.Some ofthesepeopleknowhowtosmiletoyourfaceandstilllet you know a you're "dirty Mexican."I am offereda Fellowshipat UNM andleave Texaswithno regrets.I havelingering memories ofmyfriend FrankandI goingto seetheAlamo-glass cases fullofgunsina church,reified ofthepoorTexan portraits evil "homesteaders," looking Mexicans withbared teeth.Completeignorance ofthe real story- "homesteaders" who turnoutto be mercenary a adventurers,poorly equippedMexicanarmy madeupmostly ofIndianconscripts, a battlemoreontheside oftheadventurers thantheMexicansdespitethenumbers. Thesepeoplereallydon't knowtheir Somehow history. "those Mexicans" must be made outtobe thebad guys. Inthefirst weeksbackatUNM,mymamadies... I amdisconnected. I don't feellikeI amanyone oranything. I don'tfeelmuchlikelivinganymore.Atthattime This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  ChicanaFeminist & Race, Gender; Class 121^ I starttodie gradually witheveryday.WhileI stashmyfeelings away,I continue to plugaway like a trueritualist. I'm readingMarx,Weber, and Durkheim again. This timeit'sgraduate indoctrination ThistimeI'mbeginning towonderiftheyreallymean anything tomeat all. Theirwordsringso hollowinmylife.But,I throwmyself into graduate school and write what will become my first publication. It is on the connection between Georg Simmel andWalter Benjamin. I feela kind ofkinship with bothofthemsimply becausethey areso different fromtheothertheorists. Theyarenot grandiose theorists, towhomI can somehowrelatebecausetheyfocuson buttheorists "smaller" socialphenomena.Theydon'tbalkatlookingatanything fromflirting, to to citystreets, storytelling. They fascinateme with their to ability locate individual livesinthenooksandcrannies ofdustyroomsandalleyways. Theybothseemtohave takengreat risksintheirendeavors, riskswhichleftthemmarginal bothinlifeandin academia.I admirethat. It is at thistimethatsome of mywhitefriendsare callingthemselves butmyChicanafriends "feminists," don'tthinkthistermis quiteright. We believein and equalrights all but that, doesn't something seem toring true.White womendon't havetounderstand ourexperiences northoseofourbrothers. AtthistimeI associate theterm"feminism" withwhitewomen. I amunhappy butdon'tallowitto showtoomucheventomyself.I become interested in doinga doctoraldissertation on domesticviolence. I thinkI wantto understand my mama's life. I thinkI want to understand mydadtoo,butthisis buried deep. I talk toChicana shelterresidents - the survivors, and gettheirsideofthestory. I oftenfeellike I am talkingto mymama.I am finding thatMarx,Weber,and Durkheim haveverylittletosayaboutthesewomen'slives.Marxhas a greatdealto say aboutthemovement of classes through historical time.He is brilliant in his discussionof huge structural changesin economichistory.I like his idea of a "classless society,"and mournthe inabilityof Soviet Russia to actuallybe a "communist" state(MarxandEngels 1955,Marx 1956,MarxandEngels 1978). Weberintroduces metothespiritofcapitalism anditsrelationship toCalvinism.His writing onbureaucracy andauthority are"idealtypical" analysesI knowwillstaywith me. I admirehisgraspifverstehen- "interpretive understanding" (Weber1964:29) of humanbehavior,thatis, an attempt to see lifethrough theotherperson'seyes (Weber1946, 1958, 1960/1977). Durkheim speakstomyunderstanding ofsociety when he writesabout the relationship betweenreligionand social solidarity (Durkheim1954, 1961). I see clearlytheAmerican flagas relatedtothetotemsor animalsymbolsused to wardoffenemiesand evil. However,theChicanasI am interviewing attheshelterforvictims ofdomestic violence,whilereachableto a very limited extent by Marx's "falseconsciousness," Weber's "ironcage,"andDurkheim's "anomie," are also unreachableto a large extentby thesetheorists. This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 122 TheresaA. Martinez I findthatGloriaAnzaldúa Instead recognizesabuseofChicanaswithregard tostructural trappings.Her words areso as telling she "Theloss ofa senseof writes, and dignity respect inthemacho breeds a falsemachismo whichleadshimtoputdown womenandevento brutalize them"(Anzaldúa1987:83). Andagain,"Thoughwe "understand' therootcausesofmalehatredandfear,andthesubsequent wounding of women,we do notexcuse,we do notcondone,andwe willno longerputup withit" (Anzaldúa1987:84). Her wordslingeron thetongueas she weavestogether the contradictions inherentinbeingChicma-mestiza- ina societywhichdoesnotvalue her.Shewrites, I wantthefreedomtocarveandchiselmyownface,tostaunch thebleeding withashes,tofashionmyowngodsoutofmyentrails.Andifgoinghome is deniedme thenI willhaveto standandclaimmyspace,makinga new culture- una culturamestiza- withmyownlumber, myownbricksand mortar andmyownfeminist architecture (Anzaldúa1987:22). I amrealizingthatnothing thatI havereadthusfarinthewordsofthe"greatones"in mydisciplinehas evertouchedthecoreofmyconsciousness insucha tangible way as is thecase whenI readGloriaandotherradical,feminist womenofcolor.And, mostimportant, tellsmethattheyaredoingtheory something too.AtthistimeI begin tocall myselfa feminist. AtthistimeI decideI cancall myself Chicana. Duringmygraduate schoolexperience I marry. He is Chicano,andifmama was alive,I knewshewouldapprove.AtleastI think so. He drinks, butthatdoesn't meanhe'slikemydad.He'sjusta socialdrinker, onlyhe get'sreallyangry whenhe's beendrinking.Butwe'vebought theringsalongwithweddinginvitations compliments ofAlphagraphics.Wemarry andallis well,oris it?... I soonlearnthathistemper and hisdrinking areone andthesameanimal.I'mnothappyanditshows.He's unhappy andone night... whentheboughbreaks... he losescontrol... thecradlewillfall... andI havethesudden understandingthatI havemarried myfather.Itdidn'thappenall at once,thisrealization, buteventually it does come.Thatsecondtimehe broke someoneelse'sarm. As I try todecidewhether ornotI willdivorce,an awfulthingfora Catholic girl,I come to realizethatmama would havebeenhurtto see methisway.It is her memory which gives me the to strength divorce. Andas I cometo accepttheloss of mymarriage, I remember hermore andmore. It is hereinthewakeofdivorceandin themiddleofgraduate schoolthatthefullweightofmymama'sdeathovertakes me andhaulsmeupshortI havetodealwithherdeathandsomehowI do. Ibegintosee clearlythatI havebeenwanting todiefora longtime.Without her,yousee,I don'tfeel real,havenosubstance oridentity. ButI begintoremember her- memories thathelp merealizemamawantedmetosurvive. Morethanthat,I beginto see thatI amreal This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  & Race, Gender,Class ChicanaFeminist 123 I begintoletgo oftheneedtohurt her.ShehasseentoitthatI am.Gradually without I Gradually,begin myself. to let of go my mother. I completemydoctoraldegree.I getmyfirstjob teachingata southwestern I set university. up shop as a new faculty. readingGloriaAnzaldúa tenure-track I'm but again, also Cherríe Moraga, bellhooks, NellieWong,HisayeYamamoto, Bonnie ThorntonDill,TeyDianaRebolledo, NormaWilliams, MaxineHongKingston, Leslie MarmonSilko,PatriciaWilliams, Paula GunnAllen,Denise Segura,MaxineBaca Zinn,ReginaAustin,Pat Mora,Chrystos, Ana Castillo,Alma Garcia,JoyHaijo, PatriciaHill Collinsand so manymore. PatriciaHill Collinsis amazing. She emphasizesthatmyview of the "Eurocentric masculinistknowledgevalidation process"is nota loneview. Morethanthat,sheinspires me,andI decidetowritea book on a Chicanafeminist standpoint. epistemological It cameto me one crisis- ridden night fornewsofa lovedoneinan emergency waiting waitingroom.Whydoes myworstpainalwaystranslate intomybestgrowth? Withthetoolstheseradical,feminist womenofcolorgaveme andcontinue to giveme I begintohavemanyimportant insights intomyacademiclife.It is with theirhelp thatI recognizethelimitations in Marx,Weber,andDurkheim andthe reasontheydidn'tspeaktothebattered ChicanasI hadinterviewed yearsago.Many of thesewomenwereexperiencing abuse as womenand as Chicanas,and their relationshiptothemeansofproduction leftmuchtobe desired.In otherwords,their liveswereaffectedbya matrixofdomination which"operates alonginterlockingaxes of race, class, and genderoppression"(Collins 1991:226). Marx, Weber,and Durkheim - theorists whofailedtoincorporate interlocking andmultifaceted systems of oppression- could give me remarkably littleviable theoreticalinputon the followingabuser'swordstoa Chicanawhowas trying tomanagewithfivechildren on AFDC, whoI hadinterviewed yearsago: "You lookathimagainspiebitchandI'll knockyourfucking headoff."Atthistime,itbeginstodawnon methatmylifehas beenverymuchakintotheabusedandbattered women.Didn'tmylifealso reflect interlocking systemsof oppression?In mynewjob I hopedthatI wouldmeet colleagueswhoshared mydreams andaspirations. AttheveryleastI feltthatI would be amongenlightened minds.I havelivedtoquestionthisearlyhopeoften.During thethirdyearattheuniversity I was askedtointroduce NormaAlarcónas a speaker fora WomenofColorColloquiumwhichcametotheuniversity. Thewhitefeminist who introduced memispronounced my name. It sounded likeshe said "Mártin-ez" withanaccentonthe"márt" as in"one-hour mártinizing." again,I was reminded Once thatmyculture, myheritage,is neither ofconsequence norparticularlymemorable. I verycarefullywalkedup tothepodium, pronounced my lastname correctly- Martinez - andproceededtointroduce ourspeaker. This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 124 TheresaA. Martinez Relating Stories Storiescanbe powerful theories thatteachandinstruct us. Theycan shape ourviewsoftheworld,ofthecommunity, ofgender, ofrace,ofclass. We couldsay thatthestorieswhichshapedracism,orsexisminthiscountry, forexample,arepretty long-standingstories. Todaytheyarestillbeingtoldinmyriads ofnewandimproved ways.Storiesthatstaywithus fromclassicaltheory can silencethe"other"voicesin academia.Whatcan emerge,then,is theclearand unmistakable messagethata worldview originatingfroma Eurocentric, masculinistperspectiveis theonlysource from whichcredibleandvalidtheory, research,andpublication inthesocialscience disciplinescan be drawn,informinganddefining almosteverypieceofinformation studentsaregiven.Peopleofcolor,women,gaysandlesbians,andpoorpeoplewho sufferunderthisstandpoint, who are notvalidatedin thiscontextual milieu , will continueto suffer as theirstandpoints are invalidated,silenced,and suppressed (Collins1991:203). WhatI havedoneinthispaperis sharemystory- bitsandpiecesofmylife reflections experience, inglassandsometimes obscure.Mystory is idiosyncratic and unique. No onehas grownupjustthewayI have. No onehas feltthewayI have. Noteventhoseclosesttomecouldsaythattheysee mylifeas I do. Yet,somehowmy thisautobiographical story, is connected sketch, toothers' lives,notjustmyfamily. My whileindividual, story, is yetconnectedtowhatwe callthesocialfabric. My storyspeakseloquently of largersocietalconstellations. It speaksof poverty and the accompanying shame of beingpoor and on welfare-the hidden injuries of class. It speaks of domestic violence and the rupturesthiscauses in a the real family, very impact ithas on the livesofthe children.It speaksabout class disparitiesthatspillintothelivesofthefamily and influencebehaviorsand self- esteem.It speaksaboutprejudice.It speaksaboutdiscrimination bothovert,and institutional andsubtle.Itspeaksaboutbeinga womanandbeingChicana.Itspeaks abouta woman's placeanda woman's voice. Itspeaksaboutwaranditsfalloutinthe familyand with the children. It speaksaboutfeeling pulledapart,feelingmarginal, feelinghumiliation. It speaks about notbeingacceptedbywhites,butalso being lookeddownonandputdownbymenfrom myownculture. ItspeaksabouttheBlack Power Movement, the ChicanoStudentMovementand theWomen'sLiberation Movement. It speaksabouttheawakening ofwomenofcolortotheirownvoices.It speaksaboutrace,class,andgender.Itspeaksaboutmylife.Itspeaks,andinitsown way,itis a validcritique ofEurocentric, masculinist storieswhichhavecomebefore. The factis, itspeaks...andthisis a waythatI can beginto resisttheinvalidation, silencing,andsuppression ofmyvoice. - thatohso elusivewellofentrenched Theory meaning... I amno longerso This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  ChicanaFeminist & Race, Gender; C/oss 125 intimidated is oftennotso byitstrappings.I havecometorealizethatdoingtheory muchabouttheory butaboutwhohasthepowerto gettheirversionofthestory told first andthepowertomaintainthestatusquo. Thispaperwas mywayofbreaking the of boundary my own silenceand sharingmystory. I ama womanofcolor. I ama Chicana.I ama sociologist. I ama feminist. I havefinallydecidedinmylife,inmyresearch, andespeciallyinmytheorizing that the most important that story/theory I can tell is not Marx's, nor Weber's,nor Durkheim's. It is notSimmel's, norBenjamin's. It is notevenGloriaAnzaldúa's- a womanI consider a mentor, a mother,a sister,anda friend, eventhough we havejust metItis myownstoiy.Thispaperhasbeena stepinthedirection ofclaimingitand recognizing it'simportance,a smallstepin thedirection of affirminga distinctly Chicanafeminist epistemological standpoint. I too can do theory. *1wouldliketothank Allen Donna Quintana, andJennifer Lambert, Pierce fortheir and encouragement advice onearlier drafts ofthis paper. Bibliography Alarcón,N. 1990. "The TheoreticalSubject(s)of This BridgeCalled My Back and Anglo-American Feminism." Pp. 356-369 inMakingFace, Making Soul HaciendoCaras: Creativeand CriticalPerspectives byFeminists of Color, editedbyGloriaAnzaldúa.San Francisco:AuntLuteBooks. Anzaldúa,G. 1987. Borderlands:The NewMestiza. San Francisco,California: Spinsters/AuntLute. Anzaldúa,G. (ed). 1990.MakingFace, MakingSoul,Haciendo Caras: Creative andCriticalPerspectivesbyFeminists ofColor.San Francisco:AuntLute Books. Baca Zinn,M. 1989. "Family, Race, andPoverty Signs:Journal in theEighties," of WomeninCultureand Society,14(4):856-874. Baca Zinn,M, L. WeberCannon,E. Higginbotham and B. ThorntonDill. 1990. "The CostsofExclusionary Practicesin Women'sStudies."Pp. 30-41 in MakingFace, MakingSoult Haciendo Caras: Creativeand Critical PerspectivesbyFeministsofColor, editedbyG. Anzaldúa.San Francisco: AuntLuteBooks. Barrera,M. 1979. Race and Class in the Southwest.South Bend, Indiana: University ofNotreDame Press. Bendix,R. 1960/1977.Max Weber , An Intellectual California: Portrait.Berkeley, University ofCalifornia Press. Benjamin, W. 1969.Illuminations.New York:SchockenBooks. Berger,P. L. 1963. to Invitation Sociology.New York:Doubleday. This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 126 TheresaA. Martinez Blea, 1.1. 1988. Towarda ChicanoSocial Science.New York:Praeger. Blea, I.I. 1992.La Chicanaand theIntersection ofRace, Class and Gender.New York:Praeger. Christian,B.. 1990. "The Race for Theory."Pp. 335-345 in Making Face, Making SoultHaciendo Caras: Creativeand CriticalPerspectivesby Feminists ofColor,editedbyG.Anzaldua.San Francisco:AuntLuteBooks. Collins, Hill P. 1991. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge , Consciousnessand the PoliticsofEmpowerment. New York:Routledge. Coser,L. A. 1971.MastersofSociologicalThought. New York:Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Durkheim, Emile.1951.Suicide.New York:FreePress. Durkheim,E. 1954. The Elementary Formsof ReligiousLife.New York:Free Press. Durkheim, E. 1961. MoralEducation.New York:FreePress. Frisby,David. 1981. SociologicalImpressionism: A Reassessmentof George Simmelfs Social Theory. London:Heinemann Educational Books,Ltd. Garcia,A. M. 1993. "Studying Chicanas:BringingWomenintothe Frameof ChicanoStudies."Pp. 19-29in Chicana Voices: Intersections of Class, Race,and Gender.TeresaCórdova,etal,eds.Albuquerque: Universityof New Mexico. Gerth,H. and C. W. Mills. 1946. FromMax Weber : Essays in Sociology.New York:OxfordUniversity Press. González,D. J. 1993. "La Tules of Imageand Reality:Euro-American Attitudes and LegendFormation on a Spanish-Mexican Frontier."Pp. 75-90 in BuildingWith OurHands: NewDirectionsinChicanaStudies, eds.Adela de la TorreandBeatrizM. Pesquera.Los Angeles:University ofCalifornia Press. Hartsock,N. 1987. "The FeministStandpoint: Developingthe Groundfor a SpecificallyFeminist Historical Pp 157-180inFeminism Materialism." and Methodology , editedbyS. Harding.Bloomington: IndianaUniversityPress. Hooks, B. 1990. "TalkingBack." Pp. 207-209 in MakingFace, MakingSoult HaciendoCaras: Creative andCriticalPerspectives byFeministsofColor, editedbyG. Anzaldua.San Francisco:AuntLuteBooks. Hurtado, A. 1989. "Relating toPrivilege:SeductionandRejectioninthe Subordina tionofWhiteWomenandWomenofColor,"Signs14(4):833-55. Jaggar,A. M. 1989. "LoveandKnowledge:Emotionin Feminist Epistemologa" in Gender/ Body/Knowledge : FeministReconstructions of Beingand Knowing , editedbyAlisonM. Jaggar andSusanR. Bordo.New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press Jordan,J. 1990. "Whereis theLove?"Pp. 174-176in ThisBridgeCalled My Back: Writings byRadical WomenofColor, editedbyC. MoragaandG. Anzaldúa.New York:KitchenTable,WomenofColorPress. This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions  ChicanaFeminist & Race, Gender; Class 127 Kandal,T. 1988. The WomanQuestionin Classic SociologicalTheory.Miami: FloridaInternational UniversityPress. Lim, G.. 1990. "Wonder Woman." Pp. 25-26 in ThisBridgeCalled My Back: Writingsby Radical Women of Color, editedby C. Moraga and G. Anzaldúa.New York:KitchenTable,WomenofColorPress. Martinez,T.. 1977. "Daddy.H Pp. 41 in Southwest High School CreativeWriting Awards, Vol. XVI, Spring.Las Cruces,New Mexico: CreativeWriting Center, EnglishDepartment, New MexicoStateUniversity. Martinez, A. T.. 1984-85. "Walter Benjamin:A Sociologistin the Path of Simmel," Humboldt Journal ofSocial Relations12(1):114-131. Marx, K. and F. Engels. 1955. The Communist Manifesto.New York:Appleton- Century-Crofts, Inc. Marx,K. 1956. SelectedWritings inSociologyand Social Philosophy. Translated by T.B. Bottomore. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Marx,K. and F. Engels. 1978. The GermanIdeology.New York:International Publishers. Merton, K. 1967. On Theoretical R. Sociology:Five Essays, Old and New.New York:FreePress. Minh-ha,T. T. 1990."NotYou/Like You: PostColonialWomenandtheInterlocking Questions ofIdentity andDifférence."Pp. 371-375 inMakingFace, Making Soul,HaciendoCaras: Creativeand CriticalPerspectives byFeminists of Color, editedbyG. Anzaldúa.San Francisco:AuntLuteBooks. Moraga,C. andG. Anzaldúa(eds). 1981. ThisBridgeCalled My Back: Writings byRadical WomenofColor.New York:KitchenTable,WomenofColor Press. Oakley,. 1981. "Interviewing Women:A Contradiction in Terms."In Doing Feminist Research,edited byH. Roberts. London:Routledge & KeganPaul. Orozco,C.. 1993. "Sexismin ChicanoStudiesand theCommunity." Pp. 11-18 in Chicana Voices: Intersections of Class, Race, and Gender.Teresa Córdova,etal,eds.Albuquerque: University ofNew Mexico. Rebolledo, TeyDiana andElianaS. Rivero.1993.Infinite Divisions:AnAnthology ofChicanaLiterature. Tucson:University ofArizonaPress. Ruiz, V. L. 1993. "'StarStruck':Acculturation, Adolescence,and the Mexican American Woman,1920- 1950." Pp. 109-129 in BuildingWithOur Hands: NewDirectionsinChicanaStudies,eds.A. de la TorreandB. M. Pesquera.Los Angeles:University ofCaliforniaPress. Segura,D. 1993. "Chicanasand TripleOppressionin theLaborForce."Pp. 47- 65 in Chicana Voices: Intersections of Class, Race, and Gender.T. Córdova,etal,eds.Albuquerque: University ofNewMexico. Shils,E. andH. Finch(eds). 1949.Max Weberon theMethodology oftheSocial Sciences.New York:FreePress. Sierra,C. M. 1993. "The University SettingReinforces Pp. 5-7 in Inequality." This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 128 TheresaA. Martinez ChicanaVoices ofClass, Race, and Gender.T. Córdova,et : Intersections al,eds. Albuquerque: ofNewMexico. University Smith,D. E. 1981. TheExperiencedWorldas Problematic : A Feminist Method. University of Saskatchewan Sorohn Lectures , No. 12. Smith,D. E. 1987. "Women'sPerspective as a Radical Critiqueof Sociology." Pp. 84-96 in Feminism and Methodology , editedby SandraHarding. Bloomington: Indiana UniversityPress. Weber,M. 1958. TheProtestant Ethicand theSpiritof Capitalism.New York: CharlesScribner's Sons. Webster's II NewRiverside Dictionary.1984.New York:Berkley Books. Williams,P. J. 1991. "Crimes Without Passion."Pp. 80-97 in The Alchemyof Race and Rights.Massachusetts: HarvardUniversity Press. Wong,N.. 1981. "WhenI Was GrowingUp." Pp. 7-8 in ThisBridgeCalled My Back: Writings byRadical WomenofColor, editedbyC. MoragaandG. Anzaldúa.New York:Kitchen Table,WomenofColorPress. Race and Other Misadventures: Essays in Honor of Ashley Montagu in His Ninetieth Year Larry T. Reynolds and Leonard Lieberman Central Michigan University Wecould,ofcourse, goonandoninspeaking ofDr.Montagu'swide-ranging, But career. long-lasting itwouldbe a chore formidable tosummarizetheintellectual ofonewhohasgiven lifetrajectory soverymuch tosoverymany!Happily,Andrew P. Lyonshasrelieved us ofthattaskbypenninga broadoverviewof Montagu's diverseandimportantcontributions. Furthermore, uswith hehaspresented a portrait ofboththeintellectualmilieuand"academic ourhonoree's actors"influencing illustrious Wearemostgrateful career. becauseit Lyonsforhiseffort, toProfessor seemed tousa mostfitting introduce waytoinitially to readers thisfestschrift. General Hall, Inc. Publishers 5 TalonWay Dix Hills,New York11746 This content downloaded from 169.235.48.149 on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:42:19 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions