UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Arms of America: Latina Literary Re-Interventions & Reinventions Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jt0d6r0 Author Escobar, Guadalupe Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Arms of America: Latina Literary Re-Interventions and Reinventions A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in English by Guadalupe Escobar 2014 © Copyright by Guadalupe Escobar 2014 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Arms of America: Latina Literary Re-Interventions and Reinventions by Guadalupe Escobar Doctor in Philosophy in English University of California, Los Angeles, 2014 Professor Rafael Pérez-Torres, Chair As the fiftieth anniversary of testimonio approaches in 2016, Arms of America reflects on the aftermath of states of emergency and reevaluates the continuous development of the genre. Drawing on the retrospective nonlinear women’s narratives about Central America—including the writings of Claribel Alegría, Gioconda Belli, Demetria Martínez, and Ana Castillo—I argue that such testimonial texts re-intervene in the war of words, historical silencing, as cultural memories and timeless consciousness-raising tools. Contesting the claim that testimonio has an expiration date predicated on immediate crisis, my readings of mixed-genre testimonies such as Alegría’s Ashes of Izalco (1966) and Belli’s The Inhabited Woman (1988) together with newly written works like Martínez’s Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana (2005) and Castillo’s Psst: I Have Something to Tell You, Mi Amor (2005) reveal the ways in which wartime and postwar testimonial texts alike recover hidden histories related to the body from labor in the globalized garment industry, to sexual agency within revolutionary movements, to the inner war of ii depression, to torture traceable to the School of the Americas. The inclusion of U.S. Latina testimonial writers is meant to engage in a transhemispheric dialogue that complicates former approaches to this decolonial literary tradition strictly bound to Latin America; applying postcolonial, queer, and feminist theories, I illumine the interweavings of unofficial truths in literature to explore their vexed relationship to history, temporality, and materiality. Arms of America challenges the commonly held assumption that testimonio is “against literature,” by shedding light on women’s writings simultaneously engaged in transtemporal activism and art. iii The dissertation of Guadalupe Escobar is approved. Ali Behdad Juan Luis Sánchez Leisy Janet Ábrego Rafael Pérez-Torres, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2014 iv For my siblings— Tony, Dianita, Junior, and Tiff v Table of Contents Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………..…..vii Vita…………………………………………………………………………………………..…….x Introduction ………………………………………………………….……………………………1 PART I: DESDE EL ISTMO 1 Timeless Testimonies: Claribel Alegría’s Cultural Memories……………………………….22 2 La Gioconda’s Smile: Erotohistoriography in Belli’s Opaque and Transparent Testimonios..65 PART II: DESDE LAS ENTRAÑAS 3 Tongue Untied: Disappearance and Depression in Demetria Martínez………………………98 4 “¡Qué Lindo Habla la India!”: No Bodies and Queer Subalternities in Ana Castillo’s Performative Testimonio………………………………………………………………………..140 Afterword……………………………………………………………………………………… 176 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………180 vi Acknowledgements This project would not have materialized without the constancy of my longtime advisor, Rafael Pérez-Torres. Through him, I learned my own history via literature and developed self- reliance. Thanks, Rafa, for your gentle assurance all these years. I was fortunate to have Ali Behdad on my committee. His wise counsel and warm encouragement gave me firmer footing. Leisy Ábrego brought wholeness to my life by merely being herself. I’m grateful she took me under her wing when she published her first book. I cherished our cafecitos and soulful conversations. Juan Sánchez was a guardian angel who twice arrived in the nick of time to bestow lucidity upon me. Thanks, Juan, for lending a generous ear and providing bountiful feedback. Your insightful comments led to many important improvements. I owe a special debt to Marissa López for supporting me, especially during the critical stages of qualifying exams and the postgraduate future. She always challenged me to reach my full potential and be a woman of my word. Christopher Mott has been an exceptional mentor and indispensable support along the way. Through him, I acquired pedagogies of hope and of the heart. Jillian Cuellar, at the UCLA Young Research Library, showed me the ropes of archiving and was a pillar of support. She is simply a paragon of excellence. Gloria “Glow” Chacón has been a brilliant and kind role model. Through her, I gained the gumption to venture into Central American Studies. I treasure her abiding apoyo. vii The UCLA English Department showed me great generosity. Under their auspices, I received the Departmental Dissertation Year Fellowship (specifically, the George Chávez Fellowship and the Caroline See Graduate Fellowship), the Friends of English Summer Research Grant, the Humanities Fellowship, and multiple conference travel grants – all of which allowed me to complete my doctoral study. Other portions, particularly the last stretch of writing, were made possible through private loans, family fellowships. Muchísimas gracias, María de los Angeles y Alfonso Márquez. At UCLA, I have appreciated the friendships of the late Sam See, Linda Greenberg, John Alba Cutler, Georgina Guzmán, Dennis Tyler, Aaron Gorelik, Laura Haupt, Christina Ngao, Maureen Shay, Sandra Ruiz, Carolyn González, Inkoo Kang, Wendy Shi, Mzilikazi Koné, Miriam Melton-Villanueva, Veronica Barrera, Yvette Martínez-Vu, Lara Rann, Joyce Warren, Elvira Abrica, Deb Donig, Renee Hudson, Kim Mack, Sara Torres, Kat Webster, and Hannah Nahm. Mi compañera Marilu Medrano kept me serene, secure, and sane (most of the time) with her exuberance and sweet company. Outside of UCLA, I have been blessed by my soul sisters Catherine James, Amy López, Erika Jiménez, Somjita Mitra, and Zulma Galván. The lovely ladies at Christian Assembly— Lorena Valencia, Liz Ruiz, Janneth Ecal, Jessica Edmunds, Blanca Bañuelos, Valerie Moyes, Arlene Solomon-Bates, Earnestine Turner, and Kristen Schmucker—strengthened me for the inward journey. Alice Ho and Orlando Luna, at the UCLA McNair Scholars Program, gave new meaning to training underrepresented undergraduates for the trenches of academia. For three years, my social justice pedagogy ripened with the Interracial Dynamics cluster faculty Jeff Decker, Vilma Ortiz, Brenda Stevenson, and Minh Zou. My fellow graduate students viii of color were dynamite, in particular Jennifer Garcia, Janira Teague, Sylvia Zamora, Cory Gooding, Raul Moreno, Christina Chin, and Stacey Green. A special shoutout to all the students who crossed my path during the six years I taught at UCLA. I dedicate this study to my dearly loved brothers and sisters (plus Johnny, Ashley, and Sofia). Tony’s candor prompted me to become a physician of my own spirit. Diana and Johnny lavished me with love and lots of bomb home-cooked meals. Dee, I often sensed God’s presence through you. Junior and Ashley showed me tenderness during tough times. Thanks for the beautiful memory of the Grand Canyon and for bringing my goddaughter Sofia, infinite joy and imminent disaster. Tiffany imparted wisdom beyond her years. I still remember how immobilized I felt when I first began academic writing and she posted a giant reminder at the foot of my bed that read: “What Did I Write Today?” Tiff, you’ll be so glad to know that writing is a daily practice I no longer dread. I also thank my dad for helping me move several times and whenever my VW Beetle broke down. He made sure I never ran out of extra bold Starbucks coffee. And, finally, I wish to honor my mother. She is love incarnate. My faith has increased immensely with her by my side. Through her, I learned how to live for meaning and that survival is an art. Here’s to multigenerational change! Gracias, mamá, por toditos sus sacrificios. ¡Ya andamos rompiendo cadenas! ix GUADALUPE ESCOBAR __________________________________________________________________ EDUCATION M.A. University of California, Los Angeles, English, 2009 Fields: 19th C. American, Early 20th C. American, and Chicana/o Literatures B.A. University of California, Riverside, English, 2004, cum laude B.A. University of California, Riverside, Philosophy, 2004 B.A. University of California, Riverside, Spanish, 2004 RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS Central American Literatures; Chicana/o Literatures; Latina/o Studies; Literature of the Americas; Hemispheric American Studies; Comparative Ethnic Studies; Literature by Women of Color; Testimonial Narratives; Auto/Biographies; Gender and Sexuality Studies; Decolonial Feminisms AWARDS UCLA English Department, Departmental Dissertation Year Fellowship, 2014-13 LASA Travel Grant, 2014 UCLA English Department, Conference Travel Grant, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009 and 2008 UCLA English Department, Friends of English Summer Research Grant, 2013 UCLA Center for the Study of Women, Kanner Next Generation Award, Mentee, 2013 UCLA Graduate Division, Distinguished Teaching Award, Nominee, 2010 and 2009 UCLA English Department, Teaching Excellence Award, 2009 UCLA English