Faculty Scholarship
Denise Isom
Chapter 6: "From Hottentot to Superwoman: Issues of Identity and Mental Health for African American Women" - Abstract
We are will aware of the gendered and racialized nature of our social world, from structures and systems to internalized ideologies. The social constructs of race and gender are often viewed comparatively, in parallel, or as additive elements. What is often lost is the particularly of the intersections, the unique social locations, and the myriad ways these two combine. For African American women, the "and" of race and gender marks a troubling and complex sociohistorical context that impacts the identity development and mental health of African American women. This chapter examines the social context from the story of Saarjie Bartmann, the "Hottentot Venus." through the produced images of enslaved African women, to the contemporary projections of "the strong Black woman." This discussion held alongside an examination of theories of identity development and the implications for mental health. Ultimately, this work raises a call for further research and continued dialogue on the development of an authentic sense of self in African American women so that they can speak with their own voice and see themselves through their own eyes.
"Performance, Resistance, Caring: Racialized Gender Identity in African American Boys"
This study illuminates the meaning making world of 5th , 6th, and 7th grade Africa American boys in a community based after-school program. Employing participant observation, questionnaire and interviews, the work captures the manifestations of their definitions of gender and racial constructions, including maleness, masculinity, "Blackness," as well as the intersections of race and gender - racialized gender identity. Their voice revealed the implications of those constructs on schooling along with their sense of the raced and gendered nature of their school experiences. Their sense of identity emerged as multiple, shifting and produced, yet also reflected the presence and desire for a self apart from external constructions.
"Fluid and Shifting: Racialized, Gendered, and Sexual Identity in African American Children"
"Being Black...it's, we're sometimes rugged, sometimes nice, sometimes just plain mean, but that's...the way life is." These words from a 5th grade girl reflected so much of what I heard from the children who participated in two studies exploring identity in African American children. The participants were wise and insightful and strong beyond their years. They spoke of a deeply racialized reality, a gendered social world, and operated from a sense of self that was multifaceted and shifting. Bombarded by external images, they both reflected and at a time rejected internalization of constructed identities.
Elvira Puliatano
Indigenous Rights in the Age of the UN Declaration
This examination of the role played by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in advancing indigenous peoples' self-determination comes at a time when the quintessential Eurocentric nature of international law has been significantly challenged by the increasing participation of indigenous peoples on the international legal scene. Even though the language of human rights discourse has historically contributed to delegitimise indigenous peoples' rights to their lands and cultures, this same language is now upheld by indigenous peoples in their on-going struggles against the assimilation and eradication of their cultures. By demanding that the human rights and freedoms contained in various UN human rights instruments be now extended to indigenous peoples and communities, indigenous peoples are playing a key role in making international law more 'humanising' and less subject to State priorities.
"Re-storying Justice: Questions of Citizenship, Home, and Belonging in Amy Serrano's The Sugar Babies (2007)."
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"In Liberty's Shadow: The Discourse of Refugees in Critical Race Theory and Immigration Law/Politics."
This article addresses the potential that a kind of engaged research can have in current battles for social justice and in the transformation of college curricula as a way to recover the original critical spirit of ethnic studies. Building on critical race theory, I discuss the work of NGOs such as Human Rights First and Americans for Immigrant Justice on behalf of Haitian refugees and the role of literature in inspiring human rights actions that might redefine practices of citizenship and belonging. At a time when the United States recognises the rights of refugees but criminalises the search for asylum, coalition building between ethnic studies discourse, the legal academy and the community is vital to affirm and protect the internationally recognised rights of refugees. Crucial in this process is the role played by stories as a way to humanise the often impersonal topic of the immigration debate.
Grace Yeh
"Wendy Yoshimura and the Politics of Hugging in the 1970s."
This article examines Wendy Yoshimura, the Japanese American woman who gained notoriety when arrested alongside Patricia Hearst. The Japanese American redress movement was emerging as the American public was captivated by Hearst and her challenge to her white patrician family. By analyzing media representations of whom Hearst and Yoshimura embraced—what I call the politics of hugging—I argue that Japanese Americans publicized past grievances by deploying the discourse of the heteronormative family. In considering the queer intimacy between Yoshimura and Hearst fictionalized in Susan Choi's American Woman, I critique Yoshimura's publicity for eliding affiliations outside the straight logic of nation and race.
"Race, Space, and Bicycle Pedagogy."
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"A Reflection on Historical Contexts and Themes in Villamin's Bittermelons and Momosas."
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Jenell Navarro
"Solariz-ing Native Hip-Hop: Native Feminist Land Ethics and Cultural Resistance"
"Solariz-ing Native Hip-Hop: Native Feminist Land Ethics and Cultural Resistance" In this article Dr. Navarro argues that conscious Native hip-hop productions and particularly the one song analyzed titled "Solarize" work to move us closer to developing a Native feminist land ethic which privileges living with the land rather than over the land; and, at the level of praxis, this music builds alliance with, rather than isolation from, Black communities.
"Canto para la Justicia: Revolutionary Hip-Hop in Cuba"
In this article I examine revolutionary Cuban hip-hop as a practice of decolonization. I suggest there are at least four decolonial tactics used in this music and unfold these four points by examining interviews I conducted on the island with the founder of the Cuban hip-hop movement, Rodolfo Rensoli, and with the current director of the Agencia Cubana de Rap (Cuban Rap Agency), Magía López.
Battling Imperialism: Revolutionary Hip-Hop in the Americas
In this manuscript I look at conscious hip-hop productions across the Americas including the contexts of Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the United States to construct a hip-hop genealogy that continues to critique settler colonialism, heteropatriarchy, and white supremacy. In addition, I underscore the resistive power of pan-Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous alliances to enact decoloniality.
Kathleen J. Martin
"Indigenous Symbols and Practices in the Catholic Church"
"Indigenous Symbols and Practices in the Catholic Church"Indigenous Symbols and Practices in the Catholic Church presents views, concepts and perspectives on the relationships among Indigenous Peoples and the Catholic Church, as well as stories, images and art as metaphors for survival in a contemporary world. Few studies present such interdisciplinary interpretations from contributors in multiple disciplines regarding appropriation, spiritual and religious tradition, education issues in the teaching of art and art history, the effects of government sanctions on traditional practice, or the artistic interpretation of symbols from Indigenous perspectives. Through photographs and visual materials, interviews and data analysis, personal narratives and stories, these chapters explore the experiences of Indigenous Peoples whose lives have been impacted by multiple forces - Christian missionaries, governmental policies, immigration and colonization, education, assimilation and acculturation. Contributors investigate current contexts and complex areas of conflict regarding missionization, appropriation and colonizing practices through asking questions such as, 'What does the use of images mean for resistance, transformation and cultural destruction ?' And, 'What new interpretations and perspectives are necessary for Indigenous traditions to survive and flourish in the future?'
"Native footprints: Photographs and stories written on the land"
This essay examines the work of Native photographers and artists and the ways their work addresses the decolonizing practice of the study of visual images, as well as stimulating anomalous and unexpected interpretations. It situates representations from a starting point of power, oppression and hegemony as central components of visual imagery, and also as an opportunity to promote dialogue and encourage new interpretations and narratives. This manner of investigation may function as a way to stimulate what wa Thiong'o has conceptualized as "decolonizing the mind" as it applies to images, and to re-imagine Native life as integral and continuous on this land. The goal is to present a variety of "readings" of photographs that highlight conceptions, interpretations and understandings and grapples with the enduring presence or "footprints" of Native and First Nations Peoples upon the land. Capturing and explicating footprints through images and stories may work to dispel and decolonize notions of the "vanishing Indian". These social and contextual dimensions consider perspectives that illuminate the land we love on and the footprints we leave, not ones that historicize peoples and events as ongoing stereotypic constructions, but rather as part of an active interpreted present. Examining the work of First Nation/Native visual artists may help to unpack ideas of the hegemonic power of visual imagery that challenges representations through an array of ironic, sardonic and poignant displays.
"Teaching and Learning with Traditional Indigenous Knowledge in the Tall Grass Plains"
This article presents the work American Indian and Indigenous college students in the United States on a native and heritage plant restoration project at a tribal college. It supports an interdisciplinary approach to studying the natural sciences, and situates the acquisition of knowledge within Dakota oral tradition. Students learned about the grass plains environment and Dakota environmental ethics, sovereignty and values from Traditional Indigenous and Ecological Knowledge (TIKITEK). The "plant tribes" helped their human caretakers learn important qualities of care and respect. Also included is an educational model based on the project and recommendations for the use of narrative in teaching, bridging interdisciplinary studies, and creating learning environments and developing partnerships.