Ethnic Studies Review
Orginal Publication Date
2003
Journal Title
Ethnic Studies Review
Volume
26
Issue
esr/vol26/iss1
First Page
121
Last Page
134
Abstract
If Chicanas are perceived as a communal threat because they are closer to the carnal, according to the Church, they paradoxically are worshipped as the female divine within indigenous practices like Yoruba or Mexica as well. In the works of Sandra Cisneros, Ana Castillo, and Lorna Dee Cervantes women's religious commitment is revealed through their possible responses to cultural multiplicity: 1) the rejection of one tradition over another, 2) syncretism, or 3) the continual migration between practices despite contradictory impulses. Using irony to address the tension and seeming impossibility of maintaining distinct traditions simultaneously, these writers intimate how women derive strength and a stronger sense of self primarily by moving between traditions.
Rights
Copyright ©ESR, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 2003
Comments
Literature: A Special Issue