The Feminist Writing of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Pausing for the Chronotope

[Abstract]The purpose of this paper is at least triple-fold. First of all, it hopes to show a fruitful dialogue between feminist and Bakhtinian critical approaches. Second, by means of a chronotopic reading of C. P. Gilman’s saga, Herland-Ourland (1915-6), the paper explores that Gilman had to transform certain Bakhtinian chronotopes (e.g. the chronotope of idyll, the castle chronotope), and also to invent new ones (e.g. the chronotope of rape, the motherhood chronotope), in order to develop a feminist-dialogic critique of the society of her time. Third, the paper touches upon the different points-of-view between ‘first-wave’ feminists like Gilman and the feminists of the ongoing ‘third wave.’ Finally, it is expected that readers, who perform a critical reading of Bakhtin and Gilman, learn about the dialogical features of truly intersubjective/ethical relations between people.[Resumen] El propósito de este artículo es al menos triple. En primer lugar, espera mostrar un diálogo fructífero entre las perspectivas críticas feminista y bajtiniana. Segundo, mediante una lectura cronotópica de la saga de C. P. Gilman, Herland-Ourland (1915-6), el artículo explora que Gilman tuvo que transformar ciertos cronotopos bajtinianos (e.g. el cronotopo del idilio, el cronotopo del castillo), como también que inventar otros (e.g. el cronotopo de la violación, el cronotopo de la maternidad), para desarrollar una crítica feminista-dialógica de la sociedad de su tiempo. Tercero, el artículo trata las diferentes perspectivas entre las feministas de la ‘primera ola,’ como Gilman, y las feministas de la ‘tercera ola’ actual. Por último, se espera que los/as lectores/as que hagan una lectura crítica de Bakhtin y Gilman aprendan acerca de las características dialógicas de las relaciones auténticamente intersubjetivas/éticas entre las personas

Meridel Le Sueur's Feminist Bildungsroman: When Class Meets Gender

American and communist, Meridel Le Sueur's legacy is hardly known. On the contrary, Mikhail Bakhtin's work is currently being reread by feminist critics. Through a feminist Bakhtinian critical perspective, this article examines Le Sueur's forgotten The Girl as the feminist Bildungsroman Bakhtin only sketched out in an unpublished book. Résumé Le legs de l'Américain et communiste' Meridel Le Sueur est peu connu. Au contraire, l'œuvre de Mikhail Bakhtin est présentement relu par des critiques féministes. Au moyen d'une perspective féministe Bakhtinienne, cet article se penche sur The Girl, l'œuvre oubliée de Le Sueur, comme étant le Bildungsroman féministe dont Balkhin n'avait fait que l'esquisse dans un livre non publié

Humor, Gender, and Sex(uality) in Text and Film : Incredible Shrinking Men from Mark Twain to Lorrie Moore

This article compares The Diaries of Adam and Eve (Twain, 1904-1906), The Incredible Shrinking Man (Arnold, 1957), and "You're Ugly, Too" (Moore, 2008) from the perspectives of humor, feminism, and queer theory. It examines how humor interacts with the changing representations of gender and sex(uality) at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the twentieth century; furthermore, it argues that humor is a valuable means of questioning binary patterns, which in this way may contribute to a life of equality-in-difference (my term). I also discuss certain types of comicality, e.g. sarcasm, the results of which can be detrimental or simply conformist. The article concludes that humor can help us to pull down hierarchies, find affinities, and build ethical relations among genders, sex(ualiti)es, and beyond.Este artículo compara Los diarios de Adán y Eva (Twain, 1904-1906), El increíble hombre menguante (Arnold, 1957) y "También eres feo" (Moore, 2008) desde el humor, el feminismo y la teoría queer. Se examina cómo el humor interactúa con las representaciones cambiantes de género y sexo(ualidad) a principios, mediados y finales del siglo xx; se propone además que el humor es un medio valioso para cuestionar patrones binarios, pudiendo conducirnos a una vida de igualdad-enla-diferencia (mi término). También se evalúan tipos de comicidad, por ejemplo, el sarcasmo, cuyos resultados pueden ser perjudiciales o simplemente conformistas. El artículo concluye que el humor puede ayudarnos a derribar jerarquías, encontrar afinidades y construir relaciones éticas entre géneros, sexo(ualidade)s, etc

Citizenship Gaps

Reviewing: Carrie Hyde, Civic Longing: The Speculative Origins of U.S. Citizenship; Kunal M. Parker, Making Foreigners: Immigration and Citizenship Law in America; Richard Sobel, Citizenship as Foundation of Rights: Meaning for Americ

Heterosexuality: Six Stories by Women Authors from Le Sueur (1936) to Lawson (2016)

Resumen. Este trabajo plantea un estudio comparativo de seis relatos de autoría fe­menina—Le Sueur, Dinesen, Atwood, Kincaid, Alvarez y Lawson—que replican y desafían las nociones patriarcales sobre (hetero)sexualidad femenina a lo largo de cinco décadas. La mayo­ría de las historias giran en torno a los problemas planteados por la ideología patriarcal en cuanto a las primeras relaciones heterosexuales de las mujeres; además, como las creencias patriarcales sobre sexualidad favorecen la masculinidad, muchas mujeres encuentran dificul­tades para discutir el término “violación”. Organizo a las autoras en cuatro grupos: Dinesen y a Atwood establecen un marco dentro del cual comparo a Kincaid con Alvarez y a Le Sueur con Lawson. Puesto que las protagonistas viven en momentos y lugares distintos, examino las diferencias entre ellas, a menudo enfocándome en una cuestión que se repite a través de gen­eraciones y culturas: el mito de la virginidad. Junto con esto, profundizo tanto en las temáti­cas como en las técnicas estilísticas desarrolladas en los escritos. Por último, mi perspectiva teórico-crítica no solo es feminista sino que también está comprometida con la sociedad, in­cluyendo estudios académicos (ej. Pickering, 2016), charlas de internet (ej. Orenstein, 2017) y artículos periodísticos (ej. la sentencia de “La Manada”, 2019), entre otras fuentes.Palabras clave: Mujeres, heterosexualidad, patriarcado, feminismo, literatura, sociedad.Abstract. This work puts forth a comparative study of six short fictions by female au­thors—Le Sueur, Dinesen, Atwood, Kincaid, Alvarez, and Lawson—which replicate and challenge patriarchal notions on women’s (hetero)sexuality throughout five decades. Most stories revolve around the problems posed by patriarchal ideology regarding women’s first heterosexual rela­tions; furthermore, since patriarchal beliefs on sexuality favor masculinity, several women find difficulties to discuss the term “rape”. I organize the authors into four groups: Dinesen and At­wood function as a frame in which I compare Kincaid with Alvarez and Le Sueur with Lawson. As the female protagonists live in different times and places, I examine the dissimilarities among them, often focusing on an issue that repeats itself across cultures and generations: the myth of virginity. Together with this, I delve into both the topics and the stylistic techniques developed in the writings. Finally, my theoretical-critical perspective is both feminist and socially engaged, including academic studies (e.g. Pickering, 2016), internet lectures (e.g. Orenstein, 2017), and newspaper articles (e.g. the sentence of “La Manada”, 2019), among other sources.Keywords: Women, heterosexuality, patriarchy, feminism, literature, society

Dark Matter in the Law

Not all law is written down. Sometimes, informal norms and expectations about what the law is or ought to be constrain behavior. Lawyers and legal commentators instinctively understand this concept and have written about it, but none have discussed the interaction or relationship between these unwritten norms—which I refer to as law’s “dark matter”—and traditional formal law, like case law and statutes—which I refer to as law’s “ordinary matter.” I venture into this overlooked relationship to reveal a fascinating and important dynamic that shapes the development of law. In this Article, I explore law’s dark matter by observing its effect on law’s ordinary matter. I focus on the interaction between dark matter and court precedent, and I show how dark matter can play a significant, and even primary, role in shaping behavior despite the existence of contrary precedent in the field. I illustrate this curious phenomenon primarily with reference to The Chinese Exclusion Case, an 1889 Supreme Court decision that remains formally “on the books” but seems inimical to modern conceptions of constitutional law. I also briefly examine Korematsu v. United States, Buck v. Bell, and their interaction with subsequently developed dark matter. From my examination of these cases and their subsequent treatment by legal actors, I argue that, counterintuitively, dark matter can weaken ordinary matter—formal law—while at the same time insulating that ordinary matter from review and possible rescission. I identify three factors that can lead to the development of dark matter with this effect. I also posit that dark matter has more influence on legislative bodies and courts than on the executive branch, and I examine the implications of this discrepancy in dark matter’s power

"Queeremos" a Gloria Anzaldúa: identity, difference, new tribalism, and affective eco-dialogues

This article starts by conceptualizing Anzaldua’s (and other thinkers’) approaches to poetry, queerness, identity, and difference from Borderlands (1987) to later works. Part two examines her thoughts on new tribalism, most of which appeared in “Interviews/Entrevistas” (2000), “This Bridge We Call Home” (2002), “The Gloria Anzaldúa Reader” (2009), and “Light in the Dark” (2015). Both sections also describe the possible dialogues between her poetry and prose. Part three takes dialogical connections further, by putting Anzaldua into an affective eco-dialogue (my term) with contemporary feminists. The article’s thesis is that Anzaldua’s queer way of feeling-thinking-being marked the style, themes, and goals of her oeuvre; furthermore, given her ability to go beyond binary oppositions by means of articulating difference in an affective, dialogical, and ecofeminist fashion, Anzaldua must be considered a posthumanist philosopher.Este articulo comienza conceptualizando los enfoques de Anzaldua (y otros/as pensadores/as) sobre poesía, “queerness”, identidad y diferencia desde “Borderlands” (1987) hasta obras posteriores. La segunda parte examina sus ideas sobre “new tribalism”, la mayoría de las cuales aparecieron en “Interviews/Entrevistas” (2000), “This Bridge We Call Home” (2002), “The Gloria Anzaldúa Reader” (2009) y “Light in the Dark” (2015). Ambas secciones también describen los posibles diálogos entre su poesía y su prosa. La tercera parte lleva las conexiones dialógicas más allá, poniendo a Anzaldua en lo que llamo un eco-dialogo afectivo con las feministas contemporáneas. La tesis del artículo es que la forma queer de sentir-pensar-ser de Anzaldua marco el estilo, los temas y los objetivos de su obra; además, dada su capacidad para ir más allá de las oposiciones binarias mediante la articulación de la diferencia de una manera afectiva, dialógica y ecofeminista, Anzaldua debe considerarse una filosofa posthumanista

Mujeres poetas que curan y cruzan fronteras: una lectura transamericana del cuerpo, la sexualidad y el amor

Drawing on the idea of literature as healing (Wilentz), this article examines the anti-dualistic restoring defense of the body, sexuality, and love in Angelou (African American), Cisneros (Chicana), and Peri Rossi (Uruguayan Spanish). My trans-American comparative reading seeks to transcend frontiers and join the poets’ efforts to demolish racist, (hetero) sexist, and other prejudices. The authors insist on the body and emotions as providing reliable sources of knowledge; they propose that women can cure themselves by loving their bodies, poetry can close up the wounds of sexist violence, and respect for lesboeroticism can heal intolerant communities. While celebrating the female, the poetic personae embrace non-binary positions that defy sexual and gender stereotypes; moreover, their poems’ cross-cultural and multi-tonal dimension functions as a bridge among people. In sum, the poetry of Angelou, Cisneros, and Peri Rossi has the power to cross borders and heal the world.Partiendo de la idea de literatura curativa (Wilentz), este artículo examina la defensa anti-dualista y reparadora del cuerpo, la sexualidad y el amor en Angelou, Cisneros y Peri Rossi. Mi lectura transamericana busca trascender las fronteras y unirse a las poetas para demoler los prejuicios racistas, (hetero)sexistas y de otro tipo. Las autoras insisten en el cuerpo y las emociones como fuentes de conocimiento; proponen que las mujeres pueden curarse a sí mismas amando sus cuerpos, la poesía puede cerrar las heridas de la violencia machista y el respeto por el lesboerotismo puede curar a las comunidades intolerantes. Mientras celebran a la mujer, las voces poéticas adoptan posiciones no binarias que desafían estereotipos; además, la dimensión transcultural y multitonal de sus poemas funciona como un puente entre las personas. En resumen, la poesía de Angelou, Cisneros y Peri Rossi tiene el poder de traspasar fronteras y sanar al mundo

Mapping Citizenship: Status, Membership, and the Path In Between

The concept of citizenship poses an interesting asymmetry: though all citizens receive the same rights and obligations on equal terms, citizenship is not distributed to individuals on equal terms. In the United States, some are citizens by virtue of birth within the national territory or birth to citizen parents. Others must undergo the process of naturalization. Different citizenship rules appear to solve for different variables, and it is not clear whether and how those variables relate to one another. This Article begins unraveling the paradox. It argues that the apparent paradox results from a failure to understand the relationship between citizenship’s formal and substantive dimensions. The Article reconceptualizescitizenship by decoupling substantive and formal citizenship. Formal citizenship is not a static condition that is or even ought to be synonymous with more abstract notions of membership and belonging. Rather, formal citizenship is a path that leads toward substantive citizenship, and formal citizenship rules serve as entrances to that path. Mapping and understanding the way that formal citizenship can relate to substantive citizenship can inform contemporary debates about citizenship, immigration, and membership