Magical Feminism in the Americas: Resisting Female Marginalisation and Oppression through MagicThe book aims to show the way magical feminism resists female marginalisation and oppression in the Americas. Dealing with multiple victimisation of women in the Americas who have suffered not only because of their gender but also their race, ethnicity, political ideology, social status, financial insecurity and such, magical feminism provides a voice to them so that they can speak about their marginalisation and victimisation. In other words, by using magical feminism, these female authors attempt to give a voice to the oppressed women, enabling them to resist and challenge the traditional female role and to raise their voices against various social and political issues. The subversive and transgressive power of magical feminism enables the oppressed women to break patriarchal constraints and to reverse the traditional power structure. By creating an imaginary realm through traditions, local beliefs and rituals, myth, magic and the spirits of the dead ancestors as guides, magical feminist technique functions as a survival strategy for women in traumatic and oppressive situations and provides them consolation. The project includes a total of eight novels from African American (Gloria Naylor's 'Mama Day'), Latin American (Isabel Allende's 'The House of the Spirits'), Native American (Louise Erdrich's 'Tracks'), Chicana (Ana Castillo's 'So Far from God'), North American (Gail Anderson-Dargatz's 'The Cure for Death by Lightning'), Central American (Gioconda Belli's 'The Inhabited Woman'), Hawaiian American (Kiana Davenport's 'Shark Dialogues') and Cuban American (Cristina García's 'Dreaming in Cuban') background. |
Contents
Magical Realism Feminism and Magical | 9 |
Magical Feminism and Female | 27 |
Attacking Dictatorship | 45 |
Reconstructing Personal Identity | 61 |
Resisting Colonial Constraints | 75 |
Resisting White Supremacy | 89 |
Linking Magical Realism and Transnational | 105 |
Political and Gendered Magical Realism | 119 |
Questioning Racial and Gendered | 133 |
Challenging White History and Emphasising | 147 |
Conclusion | 161 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abdullah African American Alba Allende alternative history Anderson-Dargatz assert attempts Belli Beth Beth's body Caridad Castillo Celia challenge Chicana clairvoyance Clara collective memory colonial considered Coyote Cristina García Cuba cultural memory Cure for Death Davenport dead Death by Lightning depicts discourse dominant Dreaming in Cuban emphasises employed magical empower enables Erdrich Esteban female characters female empowerment female marginalisation feminist fiction García gender Gloria Naylor grandmother Hawaii Hawaiian healing highlights history of Hawaii history of Nicaragua identity Inhabited Woman Isabel Allende Itzá Kiana Davenport La Llorona Latin American Lavinia lightning arm literary literature Lourdes magical feminism magical realism male Mama Day Maud mestiza mother myth Nanapush narrator Native Naylor notion novel opines oppression past patriarchal society perspective Pilar Pono postcolonial postmodern provides reality resistance rewrite rituals role Santeria scrapbook Shark Dialogues shows significant spiritual story supernatural symbolises traditional victimisation voice Western Willow Springs women writing