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60
term “America” is understood as synonymous with the “United States.”
This is no mere shorthand but a rhetorical imperialism, a chauvinism
perpetrated by the most politically and economically dominant nation
among many American nations. Such a construction deeply impacts the
way we view the world, making the United States the nation of two
hemispheres and relegating all others to second or third class status. The
domination and centrality of the United States is therefore normalized
and taken for granted. The imperialist projects of this nation remain
unquestioned and unrecognized under this system.
Further, within the United States borders, citizenship has been
constructed legally through language.8 Who is or is not part of “America”
ultimately depends upon who is included and who is excluded under the
law. Although many factors influence citizenship – one’s nation of birth,
labor needs, war – and citizenship is granted (and withheld) based on
shifting rubrics and historical exigencies, the constant of the rhetorical
construction of “acceptable” citizens remains.
Many scholars have begun to examine the ways the legal
machinations of citizenship have impacted a variety of minority
populations. Mai Ngai, for example, explores citizenship issues in regard
to Asian Americans and Latinos.9 Devon Carbado, Kimberle Crenshaw,
Cheryl Harris and others have explored the legal status of blacks in the
United States, paying close attention to issues of race, class and gender.10
Object Description
| Title | "As shelters against the cold": women writers of the Black Arts and Chicano movements, 1965-1978 |
| Author | Ryder, Ulli Kira |
| Author email | uryder@usc.edu; uryder@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | American Studies & Ethnicity |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-08-27 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Restricted until 27 October 2010. |
| Date published | 2010-10-27 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | McKenna, Teresa |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Sanchez, George J. Johnson, Dana |
| Abstract | This dissertation examines the work of women writers in the Black Arts and Chicano movements during the years 1965-1978. I argue that understanding the intersectional nature of the women's experiences is crucial for understanding their literary output. Further, I argue that Chicanas and African American women of this era challenged homogenous notions of community and racial identity and that we can trace the development of the Third World feminism and multiculturalism that came to the fore in the 1980s to this earlier period. Thus, this study also impacts the way we conceptualize identity formation and the creation of the literary canon. Investigating the ways in which these women integrated nationalist and feminist rhetoric and activism in their work is crucial for a full understanding of this critical period in U.S. history. At stake is an understanding of how Chicana and African American women in the United States have formed identities and communities; struggled for liberation and equality; and become part of the U.S. literary canon. |
| Keyword | Black Power; Black Arts movement; Chicano movement; civil rights; racial identity formation; womanism; borderlands theory; feminism; Third World feminism; nationalism; intersectionality |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA |
| Coverage date | 1965/1978 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1698 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Ryder, Ulli Kira |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Ryder-2415 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume40/etd-Ryder-2415.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 65 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 60 term “America” is understood as synonymous with the “United States.” This is no mere shorthand but a rhetorical imperialism, a chauvinism perpetrated by the most politically and economically dominant nation among many American nations. Such a construction deeply impacts the way we view the world, making the United States the nation of two hemispheres and relegating all others to second or third class status. The domination and centrality of the United States is therefore normalized and taken for granted. The imperialist projects of this nation remain unquestioned and unrecognized under this system. Further, within the United States borders, citizenship has been constructed legally through language.8 Who is or is not part of “America” ultimately depends upon who is included and who is excluded under the law. Although many factors influence citizenship – one’s nation of birth, labor needs, war – and citizenship is granted (and withheld) based on shifting rubrics and historical exigencies, the constant of the rhetorical construction of “acceptable” citizens remains. Many scholars have begun to examine the ways the legal machinations of citizenship have impacted a variety of minority populations. Mai Ngai, for example, explores citizenship issues in regard to Asian Americans and Latinos.9 Devon Carbado, Kimberle Crenshaw, Cheryl Harris and others have explored the legal status of blacks in the United States, paying close attention to issues of race, class and gender.10 |
