Hijxs de la Malinche: Decolonizing “La Raza” through an Indigenous Feminist Lens

Dr. Gabriela Spears-Rico (P’urhepecha/Matlatzinca scholar and poet)
Indigenous Peoples Week 2020
Wednesday October 14, 12pm - 1:30pm
This lecture deconstructs Latinidad by querying Mexican/Latin American origin myths and nationalist constructs through Chicana and Indigenous feminist interventions. October 12th is known as “el dia de la raza” or the day that ‘la raza’ was born, so it is important to have a critical conversation about what this means as we think about Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. What does it mean to uncritically embrace mestizaje 528 years after ‘discovery’? How can we reframe Latinidad through an an analysis of la Malinche and other Mesoamerican mythical feminist figures and Indigenous (P'urhepecha) women? How can we highlight Indigenous women who are fighting for autonomy and land rights through matriarchal frameworks and perspectives while challenging colonialist stereotypes? This talk will explore rematriating through a Xicanista and Indigenous feminist lens -- using my experience and scholarship as an Indigenous migrant to bridge/make connections between Chicana feminism and Indigenous feminisms.