JE#9

1.
A: I was very touched by Arnoldo de Leon's They Called them Greasers: Anglo Attitudes toward Mexicans in Texas, 1821-1900. I was captivated by de Leon's detailed history of El Paso and Texas as a whole, and it complemented Romo's Ringside perfectly. Along the lines of my first answer, I feel that I learned El Paso history from the early 20th century the best and it was also a piece of history I did not know before I took the course. 

2.
A: I have read a lot of her work and this question would be difficult to answer with just one, but I feel that both the steps of mestiza consciousness and the coyolxauhqui imperative, which comes from her other theory of conocimiento, are theories I understand and that apply to my own life. The coyolxauhqui imperative for example is about having a connection to the land that is millennia old, there is a move to reclaim the connectedness to the land and to put all of our pieces back together.I often have to reconcile very different parts of myself, the fragment that make up my sense of self, such as my race, gender, sexuality, and connect them so that I can be whole. 

3.
A: I haven't had much difficulty with Anzaldua's theories in this course per se, but I am always working toward understanding how mestiza consciousness and its varying steps can be used or applied to other types of cultural products. 

5.
A: I feel that this course helped me get back in touch with my monstrous shadow-beast in ways that I hadn't done so before. Through texts such as Tex[t]-Mex and Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands as well as the film "Strawberry and Chocolate", I was able to identify what makes my shadow-beast come forth to the surface.  Tex[t]-Mex  helped me embrace and hone in on my Spitfire Mexican and turn the stereotype into a performance of rebellion during my oral exam. Anzaldúa's Borderlands kept me grounded and helped me remember that mestiza consciousness is messy and contradictory. Finally, "Strawberry and Chocolate" helped me identify with one of the characters, "David" whose sparkling personality and sense of self inspired me to be more brave.