The first usage does not concern us here to any great extent, but the other three are of critical importance to the current status of native peoples in Anishinabe-waki. (4) As a cultural concept, referring to a mixture of customs, ways of behaving, and so on. (3) As a strictly biological concept, referring only to mixture through sexual reproduction (2) As a kind permanent ethnic or caste categorization- a person, or a group, who is not only of mixed background but whose ethnic nature, or social status, is also mixed (1) As a simple description- a person, or a group, who possesses a recent mixed background It should be kept in mind that there are several distinct ways in which the term mestizo is used: The concept of mestizo has also been introduced into the United States scholarly literature and is becoming accepted among anthropologists and sociologists as a technical term replacing half-breed and similar words.įor the purposes of this article the word mestizo will be used as the equivalent of all such words. In Brazil, caboclo, mameluco and a variety of other terms are used, along with mestizo. From Mexico through Argentina mestizo (“mixed”) is the standard term, but cholo, ladino, coyote, and other words are also commonly used. In Canada, people of mixed European and Anishinabe background are ordinarily referred to as metis, that is, “mixed.” In the United States, terms such as half-breed, half-blood and quarter-blood are most commonly used but, mustee (derived from mestizo) and even mulatto have been used in the South. The terms mestizo and metis (as well as such comparable words a half-caste, half-breed, ladino, cholo, coyote, and so on) have been and are now frequently used in Anishinabe-waki (the Americas) to refer to large numbers of people who are either of mixed European and Anishinabe (Native American) racial background or who poses a so-called mixed culture. “For me literature is a way of knowing that I am not hallucinating, that whatever I feel/know is.The Mestizo Concept: A Product of European Imperialism But when I write and how I write is done in order to save my own life. In her lifetime, Christian truly pioneered the birth of black women’s literary criticism and theory. Her 1980 study, “Black Women Novelists: The Development of a Tradition,” was the first of its kind to look at black feminist literature from the nineteenth century to contemporary times. Her theories provided a foundation for black women to assert control over their own image in American literature. "Nobody did more to bring black women writers into academic and popular recognition.”įor so long, the majority of representations of black women in literature were crafted by white writers. “She was a path-breaking scholar,” said Percy Hintzen, chair of the UC Berkeley department of African American studies. She was pivotal in creating the university’s African American studies department and, in 1978, was the first African American to be granted tenure. In 1972, two years after graduating from Columbia, Christian became an assistant professor at UC Berkeley. Her exploration of these writings would be realized later in her career - she was one of the first scholars to bring the works of Toni Morrison and Alice Walker to the attention of academia. While pursuing a graduate degree in literature at Columbia University, Christian became friends with Langston Hughes and was introduced to the works of many black writers. Virgin Islands, she dedicated her life to changing ideas about race, gender and class, particularly around the representation of black women in American literature, ultimately asking, “who gets to tell their stories?” That all changed with Barbara Christian.įrom a young age, Christian was an avid reader, questioning why there were no African American or Afro Caribbean women included in the books she read. But just 50 years ago, this was far from a common way to engage with art, culture and literature. The content we consume and its authenticity are called into question on a daily basis. Barbara Christian: Feminist literary critic
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