Massacre of the Dreamers

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer studies the book 'Massacre of the Dreamers' by the novelist, poet, and Chicana activist, Ana Castillo. The writer notes that Castillo offers an explicitly nationally and ethnically based form of feminism for Latina women that the author calls Xicanisma. The writer discusses that over the course of Castillo's historiography of the Chicana and feminist movements, Castillo combines personal as well as historical testimony to create a political and spiritual manifesto for Latina women today. Further the writer shows that Castillo condemns both the racism and negative assumptions that have limited Latina women from assuming power within their culture, even while she pays tribute to the considerable successes and accomplishments of Latinas in various Mexican activist movements.

From the Paper:

"Castillo is equally unsparing when condemning the misogyny of Mexican culture, even in its most radical forms, such as the American Chicano Movement. Beyond the ideologies of Catholicism and Communism that have denied the gender imbalance within the Mexican community and society, Castillo believes Chicana women must band together to articulate and find ways of healing and addressing their unique difficulties as a community. Only then will the feminine principle as well as machismo endemic to contemporary Mexican life once again find its space within Latino culture and spirituality."
"Castillo, however, does not deny the common assertion of the American women's movement that the personal is political. She states she had to look within herself to get beyond the dichotomies of masculine and feminine that hampered her ability to see herself fully as an activist, sexual being, and a spiritual female being."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Castillo, Ana. Massacre of the Dreamers. New York: Plume, 1995.
• Rothschild, Matthew. "Massacre of the Dreamers: Book Review." The Progressive. January 1995. Retrived 30 Apr 2006 at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_n1_v59/ai_16038839

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