Questions

In Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s article, “Out of the House, the Halo and the Whore’s Mask: The Mirror of Malinchismo” she discusses the lack of art works that were done by Chicana artists in the C.A.R.A. exhibition, which exhibited works created between 1965 and 1985. In her article she states that although the exhibition was an important event and a breakthrough as part of the movement, it perpetuated patriarchal views and excluded critical and empowering works that had been created in that time such as those by las Mujeres Muralistas. She reminds us of Audre Lorde’s words by quoting, “the master’s tools cannot dismantle the master’s house”. She states this because although the exhibition was the first to intervene in the master’s house, it still reinforces some of the master’s ideas of gender and politics. One part of the article that stood out to me was when she referenced George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm. The book concludes, “some animals are more equal than others”, and Professor Gaspar de Alba uses this to explain what was happening during el Movimiento. My question would be if she believes that within feminism, even Chicana feminism since there are different “types”, will there always be one group, or set of beliefs that is dominant over the rest?

In the article, “There’s no Place Like Aztlan: Embodied Aesthetics in Chicana Art”, she discusses Aztlan the mythical homeland of Chicanos in order to address the creation of Latin American art works and how Chicanos must learn to survive while being ni de aqui, ni de alla. She uses the film, The Wizard of Oz, and the main character Dorothy to explain how Chicanos feel living in the United States. As Chicanas/os, we lack a sense of belonging and Aztlan is where our roots lead us and where we belong. My question is, does the term nepantla encapsulate Chicana/o sentiments of not belonging to one physical place and what is the relationship of nepantla to Aztlan? Could they be one because neither are a physical place?