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95
Chapter Two Endnotes
1 For the African American and Chicano/a writers in this study, activism was an
integral part of their writing. Indeed, the two projects (writing and activism)
were inseparable.
2 This is also true of other groups who have struggled for full inclusion in the
nation. However, since the very earliest abolitionists, African Americans have
publicly challenged many constructions of citizenship and even what it means to
be human. These challenges have been grounded in and bounded by ideas
already in place. For example, as Christianity was used as a justification of
slavery, blacks used Christianity as a basis to argue for emancipation. See, for
example, Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an
American Slave 1845. Ed. Houston Baker (New York: Penguin, 1982); David
Walker, Appeal: To the Coloured Citizens of the World, but in particular, and
very expressly, to those of the United States of America 1829. Ed. Sean Wilentz
(New York: Hill and Wang, 1995).
3 The Founding Fathers most likely could not have conceived of this phrase being
deployed by groups such as blacks, women, Latino/as, Native or Asian
Americans. See Eric Black, Our Constitution: The Myth that Binds Us (Boulder:
Westview Press, 1988).
4 This is not the only definition of “public identity.” Scholars such as Bryant
Keith Alexander, Judith Butler and others have interrogated the “performance” of
gender, race, etc. by individuals. The performance of these aspects of identity
are often “public” in nature. For the purposes of this dissertation I am most
interested with a public identity “performed” in relation to the state as this was
the primary focus for the liberation struggles of the organizations discussed here.
5 It may be argued that the public/private divide requires citizenship to perform
however I would disagree. As the example of Douglass demonstrates, both
public and private identities can be (and have been) constructed regardless of the
subject’s citizenship status. Devon Carbado’s “Racial Naturalization” upholds
this argument by demonstrating that inclusion in the state (via racialization)
happens both with and without formal citizenship. Thus, as with the case of
Douglass, a body constructed as “black” by the public is thereby included into
the national racial landscape despite the fact that the private identity of the
subject may be at odds with this construction.
6 See Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an
American Slave 1845 Ed. Houston Baker (New York: Penguin, 1982) 111-113.
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 100 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 95 Chapter Two Endnotes 1 For the African American and Chicano/a writers in this study, activism was an integral part of their writing. Indeed, the two projects (writing and activism) were inseparable. 2 This is also true of other groups who have struggled for full inclusion in the nation. However, since the very earliest abolitionists, African Americans have publicly challenged many constructions of citizenship and even what it means to be human. These challenges have been grounded in and bounded by ideas already in place. For example, as Christianity was used as a justification of slavery, blacks used Christianity as a basis to argue for emancipation. See, for example, Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave 1845. Ed. Houston Baker (New York: Penguin, 1982); David Walker, Appeal: To the Coloured Citizens of the World, but in particular, and very expressly, to those of the United States of America 1829. Ed. Sean Wilentz (New York: Hill and Wang, 1995). 3 The Founding Fathers most likely could not have conceived of this phrase being deployed by groups such as blacks, women, Latino/as, Native or Asian Americans. See Eric Black, Our Constitution: The Myth that Binds Us (Boulder: Westview Press, 1988). 4 This is not the only definition of “public identity.” Scholars such as Bryant Keith Alexander, Judith Butler and others have interrogated the “performance” of gender, race, etc. by individuals. The performance of these aspects of identity are often “public” in nature. For the purposes of this dissertation I am most interested with a public identity “performed” in relation to the state as this was the primary focus for the liberation struggles of the organizations discussed here. 5 It may be argued that the public/private divide requires citizenship to perform however I would disagree. As the example of Douglass demonstrates, both public and private identities can be (and have been) constructed regardless of the subject’s citizenship status. Devon Carbado’s “Racial Naturalization” upholds this argument by demonstrating that inclusion in the state (via racialization) happens both with and without formal citizenship. Thus, as with the case of Douglass, a body constructed as “black” by the public is thereby included into the national racial landscape despite the fact that the private identity of the subject may be at odds with this construction. 6 See Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave 1845 Ed. Houston Baker (New York: Penguin, 1982) 111-113. |
