Questions for Professor Gaspar de Alba

Out of the House, The Halo, and the Whore’s Mask

In this article, the portion that really stood out to me was the fact that the CARA exhibition was meant to foster gender diversity and perspectives within the Chicano community. However, I found it to be highly problematic that out of the entire exhibit there was only one room dedicated to Chicana feminist art.  Granted, I would ask Alma Gaspar de Alba:

1. In what ways do chicano men continue to exert their privilege against chicano women in the 21st century? I ask this question because communities of color are usually considered to be minorities because of a lack of privilege which translates to a lack resources and access to opportunities. However, it’s worthwhile to note the intersectionalities, specifically the role that race and gender plays in one having or lacking privilege. Granted, chicano men are generally more privileged that chicana women because they still have patriarchal privilege.
2. What role should when men play when it comes to raising awareness and consciousness about chicana feminism?
3. Was the Chicana feminist movement created to address the lack of intersectionality addressed in the mainstream feminist movement?

There’s No Place Like Aztlan: Embodied Aesthetics in Chicana…

My entire life I’ve been surrounded by friends/people within my South Los Angeles community who identify as being Chicano. However, I’ve always been uncertain about the history of Aztlan within the Chicano community because its significance has varied based on who I ask. Granted, this article really provided clarity on Aztlan as it pertains to the Chicano experience. I learned that Aztlan is a state of being and consists of  both U.S. and Mexican experiences. Professor Gaspar de Alba even takes it as far as to say “That for men, Aztlan is an imaginary place and for women, Aztlan is their body.”

1. How would professor Gaspar de Alba explain the difference in defining Aztlan between Chicano men and women?