Papers by Katrina Oko-Odoi
Let Their Spirits Dance "We're pilgrims of Aztlán, heading east, following the rising sun, on our... more Let Their Spirits Dance "We're pilgrims of Aztlán, heading east, following the rising sun, on our own quest, una manda, searching out an invisible trek in a maze of voices calling, prayers, magical words, singsong chants of the ancient world, good wishes, broken promises, pain, traveling through the whiteness of Aztlán. My mother, the beginning of it all, is blind to all she's done. We're pilgrims on a journey to America's wailing wall. Only our faith will get us there."-Stella Pope Duarte 2 The Vietnam War Memorial was surrounded by controversy when the design was first revealed, some calling it a "black gash of shame and sorrow," a "degrading ditch" or a "tombstone" in reaction to the unconventional nature of the site (Sturken 51). The appearance of the two black walls, sunken low into the ground that met in the middle, functioned as a visual opposition to the phallic monuments constructed out of white stone that dominated the Washington Mall already, and was seen as a degrading or shameful form of honoring those whose lives were lost in the war. For many Americans, the black wall etched with the names of fallen soldiers who fought in a failed and unwanted war, embodies the same despair and loss associated with the mourners at Jerusalem's Wailing Wall. Just as Jews go to this site to mourn and bemoan the destruction of the sacredness of the temple, Americans journey to the Vietnam War Memorial to heal old wounds, and mourn not only the death of so many soldiers, but also the social stigmatization endured by veterans of that war. Marita Sturken explains, "the memorial has tapped into a reservoir of need to express in public the pain of this war, a desire to transfer
, I am indebted to the scholarly insight that you have shared with me throughout this journey and... more , I am indebted to the scholarly insight that you have shared with me throughout this journey and the crucial ways that you have shaped my project as viii it evolved since my initial prospectus meeting in 2011. The focus and clarity of my completed dissertation is undoubtedly the result of the formative conversations I've held with each of you during the course of the writing and revision process. Rosaura, I had never seriously considered going to graduate school until you planted the seed in my mind during junior year of my undergraduate career when I took your course on Latin American women's literature, and I am so honored to have worked closely with you ever since. Your unwavering faith in my abilities, your support in the face of the different challenges I've faced along the way, and the example you have set for me, along with so many other young, idealistic scholars like myself, can never be repaid. The countless conversations we've had about literature and politics, Frederic Jameson, Hispanophone Caribbean literature, David Harvey, and the greats among Latina literature, including one of our mutual favorites, Helena María Viramontes, have constantly pushed me to think critically and to continue refining my understanding of theory and literary analysis. Furthermore, your patience and the time you've dedicated to reading every draft, from the days of my qualifying exams, to each chapter version, dissertation synopsis, fellowship application, and everything in between, have kept me on track and led me to the finish line. Max, your guidance from afar during my qualifying period, and in-person in recent years, has challenged me to avoid thinking too essentially and to backup my statements with concrete evidence and well-developed theoretical arguments in order to always put my best foot forward. It was my undergraduate studies with both Max and Misha Kokotovic that kept me engaged and invested in Latin American literature, from the Southern Cone, testimonio in Central American literature and the Latin American ix Boom to the Mexican Student Movement and indigenous literature. Misha, your guidance early in my graduate career on Central American testimonio and literature addressing state-instituted violence contributed immensely to my growth as a scholar and my comprehension of the complexity of Latin American politics and U.S. imperialism. Jody Blanco, your scholarship on modernity and anti-imperialism has informed my work in significant ways, and your encouragement has done the same. Luis Alvarez, I have truly benefitted from your "outsider's" perspective and the historical approach that you have lent to my project, which has further enriched my own scholarship and informed my growing commitment to an interdisciplinary humanities approach to research and writing. Beatrice Pita, you have pushed and shaped me as a scholar, teacher, and individual in more ways than you know. First and foremost, I am forever grateful to you for introducing me to the work of José Luis González and Emilio Díaz Valcárcel on the Korean War and for encouraging my development of the project that ended up forming the basis of my dissertation. Your commitment to an engaged, ever-evolving form of pedagogy and learning has contributed to my continual growth as a teacher and thinker, and your dedication to the Spanish language has gone a long way in strengthening and reinforcing my own command of Spanish. You have equipped so many of us in the Spanish program with the skills, strength, and resilience necessary to persevere and succeed in this discipline, and for that I thank you. I am also deeply thankful for the guidance I've gained along the way during my undergraduate and graduate careers from so many inspiring teachers, including
In this paper, I analyze Stella Pope Duarte’s novel "Let Their Spirits Dance," examining how the ... more In this paper, I analyze Stella Pope Duarte’s novel "Let Their Spirits Dance," examining how the text revisits the Vietnam era and its impact on the Chican@ community from a feminine perspective, and lends a new voice to the extant body of Chicano narratives (written specifically by male authors) on Vietnam. I assert that the war ultimately serves as the backdrop to the narrative’s focus on the incorporation of Chican@s into the national narrative, thus reaffirming national belonging for the community in general, and for Chicano and Latino soldiers and veterans in particular.
Online independent publication, Mar 2013
Borrón y cuenta nueva": La negación de la historia en "Viaje a la semilla" por Alejo Carpentier
Brújula: Art and Encounters 6.1, Dec 2007
compilers. Entre mujeres: colaboraciones, influencias e intertextualidades en la literatura y el ... more compilers. Entre mujeres: colaboraciones, influencias e intertextualidades en la literatura y el arte latinoamericanos. Santiago de Chile; RIL editores, 2005. 252 pp.
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Papers by Katrina Oko-Odoi