CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by ASU Digital Repository Hispanic Narratives of the Ill or (Dis)abled Woman: A Feminist Disability Theory Approach by April Knupp A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved July 2018 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Carmen Urioste-Azcorra , Chair Cynthia Tompkins David William Foster ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY August 2018 ABSTRACT Hispanic Narratives of the Ill or Disabled Woman: A Feminist Disability Theory Approach, is a comprehensive study that delves into the topic of the ill or disabled female in the narratives of Hispanic female authors who either have a disability or who have been affected by a chronic or terminal illness, causing debilitation. In order to address this topic, the current thesis investigates disability identity by utilizing feminist disability theory by Kim Q. Hall, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, and Susan Wendell, amongst others, and at the same time reviews current disability policies in both Latin American and Spanish societies. By providing a critical view of this theme from a feminist standpoint, this study places emphasis on the lived experiences that ill or disabled Hispanic women face, doubly marginalized, not only based on their illness or (dis)ability, but also their gender. This in depth analysis of Fruta Podrida (2007) and Sangre en el ojo (2012) by Lina Meruane, Diario del dolor (2004) by María Luisa Puga, Clavícula: (mi clavícula y otros inmensos desajustes (2017) by Marta Sanz, Diario de una pasajera by Ágata Gligo (1997), Si crees en mí, te sorprenderé (2014) by Ana Vives, and The Ladies Gallery: A Memory of Family Secrets by Irene Vilar provides relevant information on societal norms, policies and current debate about healthcare and women’s rights in various Hispanic countries and the United States. At the same time, it emphasizes the disabled female as subject, and investigates the societal perpetuation of disability. This dissertation discusses various concepts from disability studies, such as the illness/disability narrative, corporeal invisibility, normalcy, medical pathologization, i stereotyping, and ableism, and investigates them in relation to both chronic and terminal illness or physical and mental disability in relation to the ill or disabled Hispanic female. ii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to all the women out there who are living with illness, impairment, or disability. May you keep your heads high and your spirits higher. To my fellow Type 1 diabetic friends, keep fighting. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is with extreme gratitude that I would like to thank my dissertation committee for their support and dedication to my academic success. To my dissertation chair, Dr. Carmen Urioste, I give infinite thanks for your continuous support in this process and encouragement to enrich my dissertation from an interdisciplinary perspective. Thank you for showing your understanding of my chronic illness and for being an inspiration by sharing your own struggle. To Dr. Cynthia Tompkins, I would like to express my appreciation for your patience and dedication to help grow my knowledge in feminist theory and literary analysis, pushing me to always be a better writer. I also express my gratitude to Dr. David William Foster. Thank you for introducing me to disability theory and for sharing your vast knowledge in regards to the former. It has been a pleasure working with all three of my committee members, and I thank each for their time and commitment throughout this process. I would also like to thank my family for their continuous support and love, and for always believing in me and my dreams. Without you all, this would not have been possible. In addition, I thank all my friends and church family for your optimism and patience as I went through this journey. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER Page 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 Disability Studies in Spain and Latin America....................................................2 Impairment, Illness and Disability in Literature ..................................................7 Feminist Disability Studies .................................................................................9 Review of Already Completed Research on This Theme ..................................13 Chapter Summaries ...........................................................................................14 2 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND (DIS)ABILITY? THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL QUESTION OF TYPE 1 DIABETES AND (DIS)ABILITY ................................ 19 Disability Studies and Diabetes in the United States and Chile .........................21 Fruta podrida and Sangre en el ojo: A Brief Synopsis.......................................25 Disability Acquisition: A Life Changing Experience ........................................31 Disability Identity?............................................................................................35 Social Experience and Marginalization .............................................................44 Medical Pathology ............................................................................................48 Conclusions.......................................................................................................56 3 FEMININE CORPOREAL DETERIORATION AND LITERARY CATHARSIS ....................................................................................................... 59 Literary Catharsis and Subjective Experiences .................................................63 Aging and Corporeal Detorioration: Just a Menopausal Woman’s Hysteria? ...78 Conclusions.......................................................................................................93 v CHAPTER Page 4 GENETIC DISORDERS AND MENTAL ILLNESS.......................................... 95 Si crees en mí, te sorprenderé............................................................................96 The Ladies Gallery: A Memory of Family Secrets.......................................... 112 Conclusions..................................................................................................... 134 5 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 136 WORKS CITED .............................................................................................................. 150 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ............................................................................................ 159 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The term disability is not a notion that is unknown to current society, its ubiquitous presence in law, healthcare and cultural products forms part of a societal discourse that affects the lives of hundreds of millions of citizens worldwide. According to Charles F. Szymanski in his article “The Globalization of Disability Rights Law from the Americans with Disabilities Act to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”, the universal nature of the term disability is a great source of discourse on disability rights in the global society, with an estimated 650 million people worldwide with disabilities. Syzmanski affirms that, “The existence of a disability cuts across issues of race, gender and even class and level of education. Tomorrow, anyone may be the victim of an unforeseen accident that leaves them permanently disabled” (22). This striking affirmation serves to show the connection between disability and the entire world population, affecting all of us at any given moment in time. However, typical western culture has been plagued by definitions of the (dis)abled based on stereotypes and pathological classifications, and almost always disregards the social experience and subjectivity of the impaired person. In fact, due to social constructions, illness, accidents, and old age, the disability identity is fluid, and may change based on each person’s individual experiences. The work of disability theorists such as Lennard Davis, Simi Linton, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Michael Bérubé, and Nirmala Erevelles, amongst many others, has helped mold several distinct models of disability, placing emphasis on the social construction of disability and rejecting the medical model, a perception that focused on 1 the curation of the impairment. These various theorists, at the same time, stress the importance of interdisciplinary connections, such as intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation. By studying the various intersectionalities of disability, new and distinct perspectives emerge that are unique to the affected individual; while specific groups may have some things in common, each person has a different subjective experience. Disability Studies in Spain and Latin America In a recent article titled “¿Cuántas personas con discapacidad hay en España?”, Europa Press stated that there are approximately 3.84 million people in Spain that are living with a disability, a number that makes up about 8.5 % of the entire population (n.p). According to this article, “Entre los problemas más frecuentes que causan la discapacidad —entendiendo por deficiencia cualquier problema en alguna estructura o función corporal— se encontraban las que afectaban a los huesos y articulaciones (39,3%), las del oído (23,8%), las visuales (21%) y las mentales (19%)” (“Cuántas” n.p.). Furthermore, amongst the 3.84 million disabled population, 2.3 million are women,