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Female Empowerment Through Chicana Slam Poetry

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Female Empowerment Through Chicana Slam Poetry MY IDENTITY IS BEAUTIFUL: Female Empowerment through Chicana Slam Poetry An Analysis of Selected Contemporary Chicana Performance Poetry Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Magistra der Philosophie an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von Antonia GRUBER am Zentrum für Inter-Amerikanische Studien Begutachterin: Assoz. Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Ulla Kriebernegg Graz, 2018 Declaration of Authorship Ich erkläre ehrenwörtlich, dass ich die vorliegende Arbeit selbständig und ohne fremde Hilfe verfasst, andere als die angegebenen Quellen nicht benutzt und die den Quellen wörtlich oder inhaltlich entnommenen Stellen als solche kenntlich gemacht habe. Die Arbeit wurde bisher in gleicher oder ähnlicher Form keiner anderen inländischen oder ausländischen Prüfungsbehörde vorgelegt und auch noch nicht veröffentlicht. Die vorliegende Fassung entspricht der eingereichten elektronischen Version. Graz, am 17 Juni 2018 Antonia Gruber ii Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Ulla Kriebernegg for her time, her expertise and support throughout this project. Moreover, I would like to thank my partner, Christian, and my friends for their emotional and academic support throughout the entire process. Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank my family. Mama, Papa, Bernhard, Pauli, Philipp and Nuga, thank you for your unconditional love, honesty, loyalty, patience and support throughout my entire life. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 6 2 Historical Overview – From the Spanish Conquest to the Chicano Movement ....................... 11 2.1 Spanish Conquest and Colonization ..................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 Aztlán ............................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.2 La Malinche ...................................................................................................................... 14 2.1.3 Our Lady of Guadalupe .................................................................................................... 16 2.1.4 La Mestiza ........................................................................................................................ 16 2.1.5 La Raza ............................................................................................................................. 17 2.2 Mexican-American War ....................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Mexican Immigration After the Mexican-American War ..................................................... 19 2.4 The Chicano Movement ....................................................................................................... 23 2.4.1 Definition of Chicano/Chicana ......................................................................................... 25 2.4.2 Chicanx Literary Tradition ................................................................................................ 25 2.4.3 Chicana Feminism ............................................................................................................ 26 3 Theoretical Approach Post-Colonialism and Chicana Art ........................................................ 28 3.1 Post-colonialism ................................................................................................................... 28 3.1.1 Post-Colonial Literature ................................................................................................... 29 3.1.2 Language in Post-Colonial Literature ............................................................................... 29 3.2 Chicana Feminism and Post-Colonial Literature .................................................................. 30 4 Slam Poetry ........................................................................................................................... 37 4.1.1 Slam Poetry and Resistance ............................................................................................. 38 4.1.2 Identity Poems ................................................................................................................. 39 4.1.3 Chicana Slam Poetry ........................................................................................................ 40 5 Close Reading ........................................................................................................................ 41 5.1 Mercedez Holtry “My Blood is Beautiful” ............................................................................. 43 5.1.1 Feminist and Post-Colonial Narrative and Resistance ..................................................... 43 5.1.2 Representation of Mestiza Consciousness ...................................................................... 47 5.1.3 Literal and Figurative Voice Shifts ................................................................................... 51 5.2 Mercedez Holtry “Trapped Room” ....................................................................................... 52 5.2.1 Feminist Post-Colonial Narrative and Resistance ............................................................ 52 5.2.2 Literal and Figurative Voice Shifts ................................................................................... 56 5.3 Cristina Martinez “My Chicana” ........................................................................................... 59 iv 5.3.1 Feminist Post-Colonial Narrative and Resistance ............................................................ 59 5.3.2 Influence of Immediacy on the Audience ........................................................................ 61 5.3.3 Representation of Power in Performance ....................................................................... 62 5.3.4 Use of Authenticity .......................................................................................................... 64 5.4 Amalia Ortiz “Xicana Poet” .................................................................................................. 67 5.4.1 Feminist Post-Colonial Narrative and Resistance ............................................................ 67 5.4.2 Literal and Figurative Voice Shifts ................................................................................... 68 6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 73 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 78 Appendix A. Mercedez Holtry “My Blood is Beautiful” .............................................................. 87 Appendix B. Mercedez Holtry “Trapped Room” ........................................................................ 89 Appendix C. Christina Martinez “My Chicana” .......................................................................... 91 Appendix D. Amalia Ortiz “Xicana Poet” ................................................................................... 93 v 1 INTRODUCTION Chicanx have had an indisputable presence in the society of the United States over the last centuries. The history of Mexicans in the United States can be traced back to the 19th century and undoubtedly presents a complex story of immigration. Mexican-Americans constitute over 60% of minority groups in the United States, and while numbers remain estimates, approximately 13 million people of Mexican descent live in the United States today (Meier et al. 3). The history of Mexican immigration to the United States cannot be compared to other immigration histories. It differs due to the vicinity to the cultural homeland and the recentness of their immigration history. Additionally, it does not only entail the history of people crossing the border to enter the United States; in the case of U.S.-Mexican history, the border shifted in 1848 due to the Mexican-American War and the annexation of the American Southwest. The annexation and its consequences for the people of the Southwest are of great importance to gain a deeper understanding of the identity of Mexican-Americans (Meier et al. 4). The years following the Mexican-American War and the annexation of the Southwest show a development of immigration which was strongly influenced by economic reasons. While Mexicans were welcomed to the United States in order to provide cheap labor, they became the main target for deportation as soon as the demand for labor was fulfilled. This development led to both immigration and emigration of Mexicans; due to the social and economic insecurities that came with the U.S. economy’s demand for cheap labor, most Mexicans did not settle in the United States (Acuña 121), which seems understandable as the U.S. government did little to nothing to integrate Mexican workers into U.S. society. Therefore, a pattern of going back and forth developed amongst Mexican workers (Henderson 8). In addition to not being welcome as part of U.S. society, Mexican workers had to face discrimination and violence and the constant threat of deportation (Acuña 119). Until today, Mexican-Americans are not treated equally; the history between Mexico and the United States has had a tremendous impact on the people and is widely reflected in the work of arts produced by people of Mexican descent. The
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