Papers by Guillermina Elissondo
Cultural studies courses offered to undergraduate students of foreign languages tend to rely on c... more Cultural studies courses offered to undergraduate students of foreign languages tend to rely on canonical works that avoid sociopolitical perspectives and present the culture of the "Other" within the dominant world view. There is an urgent need to move from these traditional curricula to more engaging programs that capture the challenging postmodern articulations between language, culture, and social narratives. However, some initial student resistance to the change is to be expected. The author reflects on the experience of teaching one class of Latin American cultural studies to a group of White, middle-class undergraduates who were upper-level Spanish majors. A cultural literacy pedagogy was used to stimulate a critical reflection on the crossing of cultures. As background to a discussion of U.S. interference in Chilean politics in the 1970s, students examined and interpreted Disney cartoons published in Chile at that time. The cartoons focused on initial encounters be...
This paper examines the kinds of visuals that Spanish language textbooks use to legitimize Latino... more This paper examines the kinds of visuals that Spanish language textbooks use to legitimize Latino/a culture, noting how different groups are presented and represented by the narratives; how ethnicity, class, gender, age, and sexual inclinations interplay with power relations, and what ideologies weave the textual fabric of foreign language books. It analyzes three introductory college Spanish textbooks: "Que Tal?," "Mosaicos," and "Entrevistas." The paper explores the visual images that have been selected to convey the Latino/a experience. Two of the books depict light-skinned, middle class Latino/as of European ancestry who are working in professions requiring higher education. The few images of dark-skinned people focus on sports or folk customs. The third book, "Entrevistas," offers a variety of pictures that strengthen the notion of ethnic diversity in the Latino/a world. However, although its visuals are diverse, the power to speak appear...
Revista Iberoamericana, 1985
Cultural studies courses offered to undergraduate students of foreign languages tend to rely on c... more Cultural studies courses offered to undergraduate students of foreign languages tend to rely on canonical works that avoid sociopolitical perspectives and present the culture of the "Other" within the dominant world view. There is an urgent need to move from these traditional curricula to more engaging programs that capture the challenging postmodern articulations between language, culture, and social narratives. However, some initial student resistance to the change is to be expected. The author reflects on the experience of teaching one class of Latin American cultural studies to a group of White, middle-class undergraduates who were upper-level Spanish majors. A cultural literacy pedagogy was used to stimulate a critical reflection on the crossing of cultures. As background to a discussion of U.S. interference in Chilean politics in the 1970s, students examined and interpreted Disney cartoons published in Chile at that time. The cartoons focused on initial encounters between Indigenous people and foreigners in a Third World scenario, characters' willingness to abandon idealism in exchange for pleasure or material goods, or the role of fun in education. Many students refused to see the hidden subtexts behind the cartoons' "innocent happy characters" or to recognize that Disney cartoons served as indoctrination in the American world view and advanced U.S. political and economic interests. Students' reactions are analyzed in terms of their prior educational experiences. (SV)
This paper examines the kinds of visuals that Spanish language textbooks use to legitimize Latino... more This paper examines the kinds of visuals that Spanish language textbooks use to legitimize Latino/a culture, noting how different groups are presented and represented by the narratives; how ethnicity, class, gender, age, and sexual inclinations interplay with power relations, and what ideologies weave the textual fabric of foreign language books. It analyzes three introductory college Spanish textbooks: "Que Tal?," "Mosaicos," and "Entrevistas." The paper explores the visual images that have been selected to convey the Latino/a experience. Two of the books depict light-skinned, middle class Latino/as of European ancestry who are working in professions requiring higher education. The few images of dark-skinned people focus on sports or folk customs. The third book, "Entrevistas," offers a variety of pictures that strengthen the notion of ethnic diversity in the Latino/a world. However, although its visuals are diverse, the power to speak appears controlled by people of European ancestry with middle class views and occupations. The three texts present visual images of human relations as neutral, friendly, and peaceful. Women are shown as having out-of-home occupations. The paper concludes that textbooks tend to present versions of reality that embody certain interests, reify certain interpretations and value judgments, and give promise to specific pieces of information while rendering others invisible or distorted. (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
Revista Iberoamericana, 1985
que optaron por el refugio conventual. La autora resalta las diferencias entre ambas escritoras, ... more que optaron por el refugio conventual. La autora resalta las diferencias entre ambas escritoras, pero, asimismo, subraya el destino comuin compartido por las dos: ninguna se conforma a las exigencias sociales ni al modelo a seguir que ella misma se ha impuesto (p. 177). Vidas de altibajos y de frustraciones fueron las de sor Juana y la madre Castillo; su curso y fin nos lieva a meditar sobre otras mujeres con similares inquietudes cuya biograffa y obra reclaman estudios y ediciones. La publicaci6n de tales textos es urgente hoy dia en tanto ellos posibilitarAn la inscripci6n de la escritura femenina dentro de una amplia tradici6n. Su lectura y difusi6n contribuira, ademas, a atizar el ailgido debate planteado por criticas y creadoras: LExisten una cultura y sensibilidad exclusivamente femeninas? No sorprende que, tal y como confirma Johnson, los escritores residenciados o nacidos en America hayan seguido fielmente los modelos peninsulares al representar en su obra a mujeres. Ese afin imitativo revela una vez mis su condici6n exc6ntrica, su caracter dependiente. Pero, a la vez, los excesos emulativos socavan el original para difuminarlo y finalmente cancelarlo. Desde el contrapunto imitaci6n/superaci6n, surgiran en el ambito
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Papers by Guillermina Elissondo