We are testimonialistas. Speaking from the wounds in our mouths (Weems, 2003) and the epistemology of our brown bodies (Cruz, 2001), we are here to disrupt articulations of our presumed ‘place’ both inside and outside of... [ view full abstract ]
We are testimonialistas. Speaking from the wounds in our mouths (Weems, 2003) and the epistemology of our brown bodies (Cruz, 2001), we are here to disrupt articulations of our presumed ‘place’ both inside and outside of the academy. The place of our bodies. The place of our labor. The place of our testimonios. Frequently mistaken as the ‘help’ (nannies, janitors, retail associates, housekeepers, etc.), we (re)claim this conversation not to enact a dichotomy of us versus them, but to flip the script on the capitalist institutions that execute a ‘violence of value’ that promotes a devaluing of labor as well as a divide between communities of color. By re-evaluating the connections between labor and social ‘places of belonging’, we illuminate the artificial ‘protections’ afforded to us by our education in order to critique neoliberal exploitation of brown bodies. Utilizing women of color and indigenous feminisms along with critical race theory and Latina/o bilingualism scholarship, this panel interweaves our testimonios, instances of mistaken identity based on physical appearance, name, location, language usage, and perceived incompetence and body politics within the classroom. Our testimonios put into conversation embodied discourses to address systemic instances of ‘mistaken identity’ that we contend are not innocent errors, but are culpable assemblages of power, racism, and sexism. In doing so, our papers illuminate various facets of Latina experiences in which our bodies are read as incompetent, not belonging, and outside of the dominant public sphere.
In “ “Aren’t You the Nanny”? A Testimonialista Confronting the Shifting Terrains of the Latina Body” by Shantel Martinez, it investigates the ways in which Latina bodies are coded, surveyed, and categorized in terms of labor, and how certain labor (i.e. intellectual labor) and narratives of labor are not valued/expected compared to physical or manual labor.
“Mistaken Motherhood: Language as Identity Marker” by Diana Leon-Boys, examines situations where the Spanish language has been used as an identity marker to question Latina motherhood or categorize Latina bodies as nannies or service providers in a society where language is indicative of racial hierarchies.
Whereas, “You Don’t Look Like a Professor: Reflections on Embodied Latina Identity Politics in Academia” by Leandra H. Hernandez, reflects upon the embodied identity politics of being a young Latina professor dealing with microaggressions, perceived incompetence, and racist sentiments in the classroom.
And lastly “That Name Doesn’t Sound Latina: An Autoethnography Exploration of the Politics of Naming and Identity” by Sarah Upton explores the process of identity negotiation surrounding tensions between one’s given name and the ethnicity they identify with, as well as the expensive, politicized process of obtaining a legal name change.
It is our intention that through this panel we speak back to these injustices and practice (in)civility to manage critique and dissent regarding our place in society, the academy, and in our communities.
