CORAZONAR WITH/IN MARÍA ZAMBRANO: INSIGHTS INTO CRISIS, HEART, AND HOPE by Maria Angélica Guerrero Quintana B.A., Universidad de Los Andes, 2013 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Educational Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April, 2020 © Maria Angélica Guerrero Quintana, 2020 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, a thesis entitled: CORAZONAR WITH/IN MARÍA ZAMBRANO: INSIGHTS INTO CRISIS, HEART, AND HOPE Maria Angélica submitted by Guerrero Quintana in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Educational Studies Examining Committee: Samuel D. Rocha, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Studies, UBC Supervisor Judith Walker, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Studies, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Sandro Barros, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University Additional Examiner ii AbstraCt Along with the different kinds of global crises we are going through, this thesis delves into the work of Spanish philosopher Maria Zambrano, whose critiques on the European modernity during the 20th century are more than ever relevant and can bring hope to these moments of despair. Through an exercise of exegesis and translation of three primary texts of Maria Zambrano, and based on three themes that I have found central in her work: crisis, heart and, hope, I weave connections between Zambrano’s poetic philosophy, with the Andean Kitu Kara concept of corazonar, along with insights about relevant topics that are currently shaking the world of education and humanity overall. The primary texts used are Hacia un Saber Sobre el Alma (Towards a knowledge about the soul) (1950), Los Bienaventurados (The Blessed) (1990), and Filosofía y Educación. Manuscritos (Philosophy and Education: Manuscripts) (2010). This study brings Zambrano’s rationalist perspective that integrates the intuitive, affective, contemplative and spiritual dimensions of life, that have been long undervalued in Western thinking. The themes of crisis, heart and, hope are developed as separate chapters and are weaved in with Zambrano’s call for integrating feelings and understanding, heart and reason, which are connected for the first time to the term corazonar. The word corazonar turns the heart into a verb, combines heart and thinking, means reasoning together and refers to a gut feeling or hunch. I explore Maria Zambrano’s ideas from my ever-present concern and love for Colombia and its path towards peace. This study is a major attempt to translate and interpret Zambrano’s ideas into English, contributing to the broader philosophical and educational studies beyond the borders of the Spanish language in which most of the scholarly work has been written in. iii Lay Summary This study brings a relevant reflection on crisis, heart, and hope through the view of Maria Zambrano, one of the greatest philosophers of Spain, who inhabited most of the tangled and violent twentieth century. It honors Zambrano’s work as it is weaved together with insights based on her offerings and as a scholarly contribution to an Anglophone readership just gaining access to her work. This thesis is a relevant exercise of bringing back María Zambrano’s thought, political activism and philosophy to current topics, as well as connecting for the first time her philosophical ideas with the Andean Kitu Kara concept of corazonar. Working with primary texts, translating to English, reflecting on current topics on philosophy and education, and creating value for the longevity of an author are some of the key contributions of this work. iv PrefaCe This thesis is original, independent work by Maria Angélica Guerrero Quintana, that has not been previously published. v Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary ............................................................................................................................... iv Preface .............................................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... vi ACKnowledgements .................................................................................................................... viii DediCation .......................................................................................................................................x IntroduCtion ....................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Soul-Shaking Wonder ................................................................................................8 1.1 Lineages .......................................................................................................................... 9 1.1.1 Blood Lines ........................................................................................................... 10 1.1.2 Milk Lines ............................................................................................................. 12 1.1.3 Story Line .............................................................................................................. 15 1.2 Corazonar with/in Zambrano ........................................................................................ 18 1.2.1 Corazonar .............................................................................................................. 18 1.2.2 Crisis, Heart, and Hope ......................................................................................... 22 1.2.3 Translation ............................................................................................................ 24 1.3 María Zambrano Alarcón .............................................................................................. 34 1.4 Contact and Distance .................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 2: Crisis ..........................................................................................................................44 2.1 Modernity ...................................................................................................................... 45 2.2 Mediation ...................................................................................................................... 48 vi 2.3 Transcendence ............................................................................................................... 54 2.4 The Land of Possibility ................................................................................................. 57 Chapter 3: Heart ..........................................................................................................................58 3.1 Metaphors ..................................................................................................................... 59 3.2 Abandonment ................................................................................................................ 62 3.3 Balance .......................................................................................................................... 65 3.4 Beginning as a Goal ...................................................................................................... 70 Chapter 4: Hope ...........................................................................................................................71 4.1 The Substance of Life ................................................................................................... 72 4.2 Struggle ......................................................................................................................... 75 4.3 Living Mysteries ........................................................................................................... 78 4.4 Towards a Beyond ........................................................................................................ 82 Chapter 5: ConClusion .................................................................................................................83 5.1 Crisis, Heart, and Hope ................................................................................................. 84 5.2 Education ...................................................................................................................... 86 5.3 Objections ..................................................................................................................... 90 5.4 Lingering In & After the Threshold .............................................................................. 94 Epilogue ........................................................................................................................................99 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................108 Appendices ..................................................................................................................................111 Appendix A ............................................................................................................................