On page 179 of Alejandro Madrid's "Nor-tec Rifa!" it is mentioned that Latin American discourses, "in an attempt to create a unified Latin American other against which to identify a homogenized white U.S. identity, have themselves homogenized Latin American cultures and the diversity of Latin American experiences in the United States." I wonder whether building an "us vs. them" mentality necessarily creates a homogenized "us" and "them"? Is there a way that this dichotomy is maintained with a more heterogeneous view of one side by the other? Or does understanding the other side's complexity legitimize it to the point that the "us vs. them" phenomenon is partially broken down?
The other question I had, while reading the same piece, is in relation to Madrid's characterization of women in "open" versus "closed" dancing. Whenever he mentions women dancing by themselves ("openly"), with no men attached, he says it's a reflection of their desires for modernity and independence and that it removes them from the institutionalized desire for and use of the body that is displayed when women dance with the men ("closed"). My question is...can't this "closed" dancing be a reflection of "experiential" rather than "institutionalized" desire, as well? Why can't a woman desire, in addition to independence, a sense of companionship and dependence on her male counterpart?
No comments:
Post a Comment