Three Decades of Engendering History: Selected Works of Antonia I. Castaneda

Antonia I. Castaneda

University of North Texas Press, Dec 15, 2014 - Social Science - 472 pages

For over three decades the work of Antonia I. Castañeda has shaped the fields of Western History and Chicana Studies. From her early articles on Chicana representation and political economy, to her most recent work mapping gendered violence and gendered resistance in the history of the U.S. Southwest, her work is consistently taught in classrooms and cited extensively. Yet Castañeda's work has been scattered throughout journals and anthologies, a "paper chase" for historians to track down.  Three Decades of Engendering History ends the chase. This volume, edited by Linda Heidenreich, collects ten of Castañeda's best articles, including the widely circulated article "Engendering the History of Alta California, 1769-1848," in which she took a direct and honest look at sex and gender relations in colonial California. Demonstrating that there is no romantic past to which we can turn, she exposed stories of violence against women, as well as stories of survival and resistance. Other articles included are the prize-winning "Women of Color and the Rewriting of Western History," and two recent articles, "Lullabies y Canciones de Cuna" and "La Despedida." The latter two represent Castañeda’s most recent work excavating, mapping, and bringing forth the long and strong post-WWII history of Tejanas.  Finally, the volume includes three interviews with Antonia Castañeda, conducted by Luz María Gordillo, that contribute the important narrative of her lived experiences, political perspective, her commitment to initiate and develop scholarship that highlights gender and Chicanas as a legitimate line of inquiry, and her drive to center Chicanas as historical subjects.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Introduction to the Interviews: 25
• Speaking Back Critiquing the Dominant Discourse: 35
• The Political Economy of NineteenthCentury Stereotypes of Californianas: 37
• Malinche Calafia y Toypurina: 65
• Plática I: 89
• Remapping a Tradition Critical Historiographies: 99
• Women of Color and the Rewriting of Western History: 103
• Gender Race and Culture: 143
• Plática II: 187
• Writing Mestiza and Indigenous Women into History: 197
• Sexual Violence in the Politics and Policies of Conquest: 201
• Engendering the History of Alta California 17691848: 229
• Plática III: 273
• Embodied Histories: 291
• Que Se Pudieran Defender So You Could Defend Yourselves: 295
• Language and Other Lethal Weapons: 331
• Lullabies y Canciones de Cuna: 349
• La Despedida: 371
• Conclusion to Three Decades of Engendering History: 379
• Permissions Acknowledgments: 387
• Bibliography: 389
• Index: 439

About the author

Linda Heidenreich is associate professor in the department of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies at Washington State University, Pullman. She is co-chair of the Inland Northwest Chicana/o Latina/o Studies Alliance and Book Review Editor for Chicana/Latina Studies. She is the author of "This Land Was Mexican Once": Histories of Resistance from Northern California.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Three Decades of Engendering History: Selected Works of Antonia I. Castaneda; Volume 9 of Al Filo: Mexican American Studies Series
• Author: Antonia I. Castaneda
• Editor: Linda Heidenreich
• Contributors: Luz Maria Gordillo, Deena J. Gonzalez
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University of North Texas Press, 2014
• ISBN: 1574415689, 9781574415681
• Length: 472 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY); Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Hispanic American Studies; Social Science / Women's Studies