Languages of Exile and Diaspora: a De-Colonial Approach to Equatoguinean and Afro-Latin@ Literature
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Languages of Exile and Diaspora: A De-Colonial Approach to Equatoguinean and Afro-Latin@ Literature By Yomaira Catherine Figueroa A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnic Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Nelson Maldonado-Torres, Co-Chair Professor Keith P. Feldman, Co-Chair Professor Ramon Grosfoguel Professor Trinh T. Minh-ha Fall 2014 Abstract Languages of Exile and Diaspora: A De-Colonial Approach to Equatoguinean and Afro-Latin@ Literature by Yomaira Catherine Figueroa Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnic Studies University of California, Berkeley Professors Nelson Maldonado-Torres and Keith P. Feldman, Co-Chairs This project undertakes a comparative analysis of literatures written by Afro- Latin@ and Afro-Hispanic diasporic and exilic writers in the post-1960’s/post- independence period. Through decolonial analyses this project examines how these texts create new discursive spaces for engaging critical concepts found in Afro-diasporic and exilic global literatures. I propose that these literatures produced in exile and diaspora show how postcolonial literature engages in a (re)telling of history, interrogates foundational narratives of the nation(s), and articulates critical positions that elucidate decolonial discourses. I examine the decolonial possibilities of global Afro-diasporic and exilic literature and as such, I propose the use of the theory of the decolonial attitude as a way to read these texts as literary palimpsests. The chapters engage critical topics in decolonial thought including: faithful witnessing and theories of representation, the reimagining of reparations and futurities through decolonial love, and the impossibilities of home and exile. The goal of this project is to aid in the mapping of the diasporic and exilic global Afro-Latin@ Caribbean and Equatoguinean archipelago. This dissertation re- conceptualizes the fields of Latin@ Studies, Afro-diaspora Studies, and the study of literature in light of theories of decoloniality. Thinking about these nations -- Equatorial Guinea, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic -- and literatures in the context of the long-durée of colonial and postcolonial histories and migrations makes it possible to begin mapping the dialogue between Equatoguinean and Afro-Latin@ diasporic and exilic populations. ! 1 To my parents Marcelino and Santa, ! i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................ IV INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... VIII MAPPING THE DECOLONIAL IN AFRO-LATIN@ & AFRO-HISPANIC LITERATURE HISTORICIZING THE PROJECT ......................................................................................... IX CONTEXTUALIZING TERMS & THEORIES ..................................................................... XVI The Decolonial Attitude as Theory & Trope ...................................................... xvi Theorizing Palimpsest Literature ........................................................................ xvii Diaspora and Exile: Movements & Memories .................................................... xx Centering Race, Sex, Gender, & Subjectivity ...................................................... xxi HISTORICIZING THE EQUATOGUINEAN & LATINO CARIBBEAN CONNECTION ........ XXII CONTEXTUALIZING THE CHAPTERS ........................................................................... XXVI CHATPER 1 ...................................................................................................................... 1 “FAITHFUL WITNESSING” AS TROPE IN DECOLONIAL READINGS OF LAS TINIEBLAS DE TU MEMORIA NEGRA & THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO FAITHFUL WITNESSING AS FRAMEWORK ....................................................................... 3 FAITHFUL WITNESSING AS PRACTICE: APPROACHING THE LITERATURE ..................... 7 Witnessing Cosmologies Collide: Las tineblas de tu memoria negra ..................... 7 Witnessing in Diaspora: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao .......................... 17 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................... 28 REPARATION AS TRANSFORMATION: RADICAL RE-IMAGININGS OF FUTURITIES THROUGH DECOLONIAL LOVE DECOLONIAL LOVE ....................................................................................................... 29 DECOLONIAL REPARATIONS ......................................................................................... 31 IMAGINING DECOLONIAL REPARATIONS: QUIÑONEZ, DÍAZ, AND BACHENG ........... 33 The Limited Imagination of Willie Bodega: Quiñonez’s Bodega Dreams ......... 34 Díaz: Imagining New Men & A Stronger Loving World .................................. 44 Mbomio Bacheng: Reparative Blood, A Feminist Critique ............................... 47 LITERATURE, RADICAL THOUGHT & DECOLONIAL IMAGINATIONS ........................... 54 CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................... 58 EXILE & IMPOSSIBLIITES OF HOME/LANDS: LOIDA MARITZA PEREZ’S GEOGRAPHIES OF HOME & JUAN TOMÁS ÁVILA LAUREL’S EL DICTADOR DE CORSICO THEORIES OF EXILE: THE NATION, THE NARRATIVE ................................................... 61 NAVIGATING THE BODY AS HOME: PEREZ’S GEOGRAPHIES OF HOME ........................ 66 OF EXILES AND DICTATORS: ÁVILA LAUREL’S EL DICTADOR DE CORSICO ................. 74 ! ii CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 84 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 87 GLOBAL AFRO-DIASPORAS OF (POST)COLONIAL MAKINGS: LIKING LITERATUES, TRAVERSING BOUNDARIES THEORETICAL INTERVENTIONS ..................................................................................... 90 Note on Transdisciplinarity ................................................................................... 90 Note on Linguistics ................................................................................................. 90 Note on Traversing Disciplinary Decadence ...................................................... 91 REGARDING FAITHFUL WITNESSING & RECOGNITION ................................................. 91 REGARDING REPARATIONS, FUTURITIES & DECOLONIAL LOVE .................................. 93 REGARDING EXILE & MEMORY ..................................................................................... 95 FINAL NOTES ................................................................................................................. 97 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 101 ! iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project would have not been possible without the guidance, support, and kindness of many people. To my parents and family, thank you for putting up with my endless years of “school” and supporting my work. My parents Marcelino Santo Figueroa and Santa Figueroa Vasquez came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico with nothing and they gave us everything. Thank you for your journey, thank you for your sacrifices. There are no words through which to express my gratitude for your love and resilience. Though my father was not able to see me to the end of the process, my finishing is in great part facilitated by his spirit. To my sister Maria Peggy Díaz, thank you for your loyalty and your fierce and unwavering love. You were the first person to read to me as a little girl and in those moments you changed my life: you made me fall in love with literature. You have always been my hero and I am grateful for you everyday. Thank you to my brothers Juan Rodriguez and Peter Díaz, kind in spirit and in heart. To my dearest loves, my niece and nephews Amanda Rose Rodriguez, Isaiah Kye Díaz-Mays, and Everett Isaiah Díaz, you are forever my little ones. I am so eager to see your lives unfold into fantastic futures. To my Vasquez, Rivera, and Figueroa Families, here in the U.S. and in Caguas and Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, un fuerte abrazo de mi parte, los quiero muchísimo. A mi abuela Santo, bendiciones te pido, te amo. Thank you to the Peters Family a hearty happy radical family that I am so grateful to be a part of: William, Jackie, Yejide, Kamau, Azikiwe, and Shani (the list goes on and my love is infinite). To my mentor and dissertation co-chair, Nelson Maldonado-Torres, I owe you a great many thanks for your persistent belief in my work and my future as a scholar. I have learned what true generosity of time and spirit is through your consistent mentorship. I am continually inspired by your work and your ethics as a human and a scholar. These last seven years have been made better by your presence, support, and humor. A lifetime of thanks would not be enough. I hope to count on your guidance for the long haul. Keith P. Feldman, you have been a true supporter, cheering me on and helping me shape and reshape this project. As a co-chair of this dissertation project your advice was essential. You have helped me approach my work creatively and rigorously. Thank you for taking the time to mentor me while writing