Questions for Professor Gaspar de Alba

According to the article, “Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore’s Mask: The Mirror of Malinchismo”, it is said that Chicano men assign attributes to the feminine gender which includes motherhood, virginity, and prostitution. Being in a patriarchal society, the men are the ones who have social, political, economic, and even sexual power, in contrast to women who are the subordinates. If Chicana women are given attributions to their feminine gender, does an equivalent idea exist for Chicano men? Are there attributions to distinguish how the men are in their role as a male? I find it very interesting how women are given attributions such as the good whore/bad whore and such, while there are no discussions on how the men are distinguished as. Does the patriarchal society not allow women to have these attributions against men?

In the article, “There’s no Place Like Aztlan: Embodied Aesthetics in Chicana Art”, it says that many Chicanos these days lose their connection to the Mexican past and people start to assimilate into the American present, resulting in the Chicanos not being able to speak Spanish. What would be a method to prevent one’s own cultural heritage from being unnoticed? I myself came to the United States when I was seven years old and grew up in America for most of my life. Although I became Americanized, I did not lose my identity as a Korean and took classes to learn about my heritage and culture. Now I am fluent in both English and Korean, which makes me think that it should probably be the same in Chicano households as well. Having their children learn about their cultural past and who they are as a person.