Research & Projects

This document is a research paper that analyzes Oscar Zeta Acosta's novel "The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo" as a journey of self-discovery and identity formation.

Overview

An examination of Acosta's self-navigation through the concept of double-consciousness while struggling to reconcile his Mexican and American identities. Highlighting Acosta's complex relationships with his parents, where his father isolated him from his Mexican identity and his mother maintained their cultural connections. Providing an analysis for understanding why Acosta shift so frequently between different identities before finally find acceptance in himself as a, "Chicano by ancestry and a Brown Buffalo by choice." 

Purpose

To discuss how Acosta's journey in self-discovery represents a universal experience for many Mexican-Americans, and others with dual identities, who struggle to define themselves in a world that does not easily accommodate their complex cultural backgrounds. Ni de aqui, ni de alla. 

Read Here 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yskwqO5JCTco2YL0mhxY-oExkEwbS5etQtiFTRHmONc/edit?usp=sharing 

An analysis of Lorena Dee Cervantes' poetry collection, "Emplumada," portrays different generations of Chicana women in a matriarchal family. 

Overview

Identifies four distinct female archetypes found in Cervantes' work: the grandmother (foundation builder and tradition keeper), the mother (daydreamer forced to be a fighter), the daughter (second-generation Chicana seeking identity between cultures), and a fourth "woman other" representing all unacknowledged women in history. Demonstrating how through the use of poetry Cervantes captures the immigrant women's experiences of sacrifice, displacement, and the search for belonging.

Purpose

To show how important the resilience of womens' contributions to the Chicano movement really were. Discussing how the marginalization of women during the movement has been historically overlooked, and their  contributions and experiences dismissed.  

Read Here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gjZdLx_VmC8_Dl5nYw8IRB1yNN7N9Kliwtnce9U96Nw/edit?usp=sharing 

An examination of Julian Randall's "#julian4spiderman" and it's illustration of  the struggles of Afro-Latinos seeking representation within the Latinx diaspora. 

Overview

An explorative take on Randall's use of masks as metaphors for how Afro-Latinos often hide their true identities to conform to expectations, and the breaking of that conformity and reclaiming their spaces in the Latinx diaspora. With the help of Randall's affirmation that Spider-Man's Miles Morales is Black, this work argues that the representation of Afro-Latinx is vital for those communities to feel welcome in spaces of Latinidad and Blackness. Highlighting how Randall's work confronts issues of visibility and invisibility, belonging, and origin stories within the Afro-Latinx community. 

Purpose

To demonstrate that representation matters greatly for Afro-Latinx communities whose stories are seldom told, and of people who like Randall are tired of disappearing. 

Read Here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AUcaw1L-4dUELu0KwYp5aMb_PJHd0Dc298_tIjAs_oQ/edit?usp=sharing 

This graphic novel explores my understanding of migration narratives, trauma in Latinx communities and the literary form of testimonios as a form of record keeping and resistance. 

Overview

The novel features a father and son connecting through the traditional Salvadorian game "Tripa Chuca," which serves as a medium for the father to share his migration story with his son. 

Purpose 

The purpose of this novel is to discuss the challenges of balancing trauma narratives while respecting real lived experiences, and remarking  that trauma in Latinx communities is often treated as taboo. The hope is that this novel inspires other to share thier migratoin stories and process thier experiences because it is never to late to process one's own personal trauma and embrace thier history.  

Read Synopsis Here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c6cEfsYg01-f8xWX8xuqC7wm-2_-rsX_vaW7i8EVV30/edit?usp=sharing 

Read Graphic Novel Here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QEUlxgy2wISDMVnP6X-wTohbUWMabixo/view?usp=share_link