University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Spanish and Portuguese ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 8-31-2011 MI CASA ES SU CASA: LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LA IDENTIDAD CHICANA Y EL DESARROLLO DE LA DOMÉSTICA EN LA NARRATIVA CHICANA Verónica Calvillo Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/span_etds Recommended Citation Calvillo, Verónica. "MI CASA ES SU CASA: LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LA IDENTIDAD CHICANA Y EL DESARROLLO DE LA DOMÉSTICA EN LA NARRATIVA CHICANA." (2011). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/span_etds/9 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Spanish and Portuguese ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Verónica Calvillo Candidate Spanish and Portuguese Department This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Dr. Tey Diana Rebolledo, Chairperson Dr. Bárbara Reyes Dr. Miguel López Dr. Enrique Lamadrid ii MI CASA ES SU CASA: LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LA IDENTIDAD CHICANA Y EL DESARROLLO DE LA DOMÉSTICA EN LA NARRATIVA CHICANA by VERÓNICA CALVILLO B.A; Spanish, University of New Mexico, 1996 M.A; Spanish, University of New Mexico, 1999 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Spanish and Portuguese The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2011 iii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this study furthermost to my parents, Raúl Calvillo Barrios and Aurelia Olivia Ayala de Calvillo, for their hard work and their dedication on making my dream come true. I have learned the most important value about life and work through their work as a janitor and a domestic worker and for treating their work as a true profession. Also I would like to dedicate this study to the domésticas or las señoras que limpian las casas for earning a living and making domestic work their calling and profession. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I heartily acknowledge Dr. Tey Diana Rebolledo, my advisor and dissertation chair, for her unconditional support, encouragement, knowledge and wiliness to guide me on this long process of completing my dissertation and becoming an instructor and an academic. Her knowledge, guidance, professional style and shared experiences as a professor, an advisor and an administrator will remain with me as I continue my career. I can only hope to make her proud as she has taught me well to be an outstanding and excellent professor, advisor and colleague. From the bottom of my heart and with great admiration MIL GRACIAS. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Bárbara Reyes, Dr. Miguel López, and Dr. Enrique Lamadrid, for their knowledge, their time and valuable recommendations pertaining to this study and assistance in my professional development. Their close reading and edit suggestions were of great importance on making this process a great learning experience. To my dearest friends and colleagues, Cynthia Meléndrez, for her close readings and suggestions and words of encouragement when truly were needed the most. To Melba Amador, for her many years of unconditional support and encouragement on this journey we started together. To Nicholas Sánchez, for always encouraging me to be the best instructor I could be. To Kristen Valencia, for always believing in me, even when I didn‟t. To Elena Avilés, who always had those words of encouragement during my last revisions. From the bottom of my heart, I couldn‟t have asked for better friends and colleagues to have in the years to come as we all embarked on our own new journey wherever that might be. To my dearest, best friend and sister, M. Gabriela Jasso- Ruiz, my gratitude and unconditional love for the many years we have shared good and bad times. I thank you so much for always being like the sister I never had and the very best friend everyone wants to have in their live. v MI CASA ES SU CASA: LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LA IDENTIDAD CHICANA Y EL DESARROLLO DE LA DOMÉSTICA EN LA NARRATIVA CHICANA by VERÓNICA CALVILLO B.A; Spanish, University of New Mexico, 1996 M.A; Spanish, University of New Mexico, 1999 PhD; Spanish, University of New Mexico, 2011 ABSTRACT The development of the Chicano/a identity has prevailed as a main theme in a vast variety of Chicano/a Literature. This study analyses the construction of identity in female protagonists as they develop a domestic profession in the private and public sectors. The novels Face of An Angel written by Denise Chávez and Trini written by Estela Portillo-Trambley as well as selected poems written by Pat Mora set the stage for a dialogue between domestic workers and their employers as both parties negotiate their own identity and subsistence in a society where their presence involves a give and take for economic reasons. The female characters develop a better understanding of their own culture, community and themselves through domestic work and their interactions with other domestic workers in the narratives. Domestic work becomes a profession for the female characters and a tool to mediate their identity between private and public spheres. This study takes an interdisciplinary approach as it analyses the narratives not only from a literary perspective but from a sociological one. Mary Romero and Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo‟s extensive studies have highlighted the importance of domestic workers and their contributions in society. Gloria Anzaldúa‟s work has contributed to this study as the concept of the new mestiza plays an important role in identity formation. This study closely analyses the similarities between sociological studies of domestic workers and their identity formation and the representation of domestic workers in Chicano/a Literature. The outcome of this study analyses similarities between domestic workers and their representation in literature. It also studies how domestic workers have made an attempt to redefine their identity and have struggled to be recognized as individuals who have a valuable profession that can truly be valued in society and its literature. vi Table of Contents 1.1 Introducción: Tema Principal ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 El contexto histórico y social .................................................................................... 2 1.3 El trabajo doméstico dentro del campo de la sociología ........................................... 4 1.4 La identidad de la mujer chicana latina ..................................................................... 5 1.5 Repaso de literatura sobre las domésticas ................................................................. 6 1.6 Definición del trabajo doméstico .............................................................................. 8 1.7 Los espacios privados y públicos dentro del trabajo doméstico ............................. 13 1.8 La cuestión racial, de género, y de clase social en el trabajo doméstico ................ 14 1.9 Los espacios y las relaciones personales entre doméstica y la patrona y su trabajo 21 1.10 La formación de la nueva mestiza y sus repercusiones dentro de la profesión doméstica ....................................................................................................................... 29 1.11 Obras literarias representativas sobre la identidad Chicana y el trabajo doméstico ....................................................................................................................................... 33 1.12 Resumen de capítulos de contenido ...................................................................... 34 1.12a Capítulo 1: Trini de Estela Portillo-Trambley ................................................. 34 1.12b Capítulo 2: Face of An Angel de Denise Chávez ............................................. 37 1.12c Capítulo 3: Los poemas seleccionados de los poemarios Chants y Borders de Pat Mora .................................................................................................................... 39 2.1 Capítulo 2: Estela Portillo-Trambley .......................................................................... 42 2.2 Su escritura, estilo y breve resumen de la obra de Estela Portillo-Trambley.......... 45 2.3 La crítica sobre la obra de Estela Portillo-Trambley............................................... 49 2.4 Análisis Textual sobre Trini .................................................................................... 64 vii 2.4a Definición de la novela de crecimiento ............................................................. 66 2.4b Trini y el trabajo doméstico ............................................................................... 69 2.4c El concepto de la frontera y los arquetipos en la novela Trini .......................... 71 2.4d El trabajo doméstico .......................................................................................... 75 2.5 Conclusión ............................................................................................................... 86 3.1 Capítulo 3: Denise Chávez ......................................................................................... 88 3.2 La escritura, estilo, y breve resumen de la obra de Denise Chávez ........................ 90 3.3 La crítica de la obra de Denise Chávez ................................................................... 94 3.4 La