Toward A Chicana Feminist Epistemological Standpoint

Toward A Chicana Epistemological Theory at the Intersection of Race, Feminist Standpoint Class , and Gender Theresa A. Martinez, Sociology The Universityof Utah without ofherself, ofhistory ofthem without cannot Shewho knows she involving speaking speak movement a gesture thetoandfro that shecannot make without alsoknows her activating story, oflife. Trinh T.Minh-ha these love? life work toendthese askmyself: Where isthe Howismy . . .1must tyrannies, serving movement for inourworldwide HowamI earning corrosions ofsacred possibility? membership andself-respect self-determination June Jordan - thatohso elusivewellofentrenched Itcanopendoorsto meaning. Theory academic Itcan also be usedtojustify andconcrete. thesocialworldbothinsightful as which are "other." which are not and of voices familiar, marginalization silencing assures us that is "a II New Riverside WhiletheWebster's theory general Dictionary and"a bodyof to accountforcertainobservablephenomena," principleformulated assuresus that art or it also the or of an discipline," principles governing study practice is "an or (1984:710-1 1). theory assumption guess" z Inmy is nothing ifnotgrand.RobertK. Merton sociology, theory contendsthatthe quest for an all-embracing, unifiedtheoryis a challenging commitment andthat oftheeighteenth andearlynineteenth centuries worthhis Anyphilosopher salt had to develophisownphilosophical . . . Each was a system system bid for the definitive overview the universe of nature of and matter, personal man.(Merton1967:46) A loftyideal,one mightsurmise.At thesametime,it evokesamusing onecan imagineMarx,Durkheim, the andWeberobserving images. Forinstance, social worldlikevarious"professional peepingtoms"(Berger1963), andrunning hometoscribblenoteson scratch tomakelargeandgrandiose senseof pads- trying the social world,universe,community, and last but not least,milieu(always inproperpseudo-French). I becameentwined intheirsocialmilieuas a pronounced studentsociologist theuniversity. I was theproductof a processof just entering academic socialization whichembedded theideas,thetheories, theepistemologies of thesethinkers intomyconsciousness. I readthem,stewedoverthem,debatedthem, wasfrustrated atthem.I cherished whattheysaid;I despised bythem,andgotangry whattheysaid.WhatI didnotrealizethenbutwhatI realizenowis thattheywere oftencalledtheories, aboutthe simply storytellers. Theywereinfacttelling"stories," world.Although werelimited bothbyexperience andtime,theseverystorytellers they - theirtheories - theboundaries, were able to setforth withtheir"stories" facades, mortar andbonesofwhatwe knowas sociologicalthought. buildingstructure, me to placetheirwayofknowing thesocial My academictraining taught worldina sphereabovemyown,andthiseffectively silencedmyversionofthestory whenitdiffered fromtheirs.WhenI didn'tunderstand thetheories oftheseeminent thatthere was something men,I assumed wrongwithmysideofthestory. Mymother askedmeifI wasdoingwellinschool. OfcourseI was; I hadlearnedthestory, their ofmyownandevenmymother's.Itwas when version, verywell... tothenegation - that I was doingmyresearchonbattered womeninNewMexico- thedissertation I realizedthatsometimes thestorieswereverydifferent andsometimes, blesstheir didn'thavea clue. I cametoknowtheworkof hearts, Marx,Weber,andDurkheim Gloria Anzaldúa. I came to readotherradicalwomenof color.I encountered a Chicanadiscourse onourhistory, and I was amazed at how work,poetry, prose. very different thestoriescouldbe told.ButbeforeI cametothisrealization I hada great dealofunlearning andlearning todo. Thispresent workis aboutthatunlearning andlearning process.Whilethe is no means a denial of and Durkheim andtheother Marx, Weber, paper by complete "mastersof sociologicalthought" thatdominated and myundergraduate graduate this other thesocialworld.Butchiefly, itis aboutaffirming waysofknowing training, as a about about It is is Chicana, mypersonalhistory mystory, autobiography. paper I takea step toknowandunderstand andas a feminist. In trying mypersonalhistory, world within the individual the social to envision thatsharpens life,as well myability andstoiytelling. thesocialworld,thatis boththeorizing lifewithin as theindividual Chicanafeminist ofa completed Thispaper,whilenotanachievement epistemological andtowardaffirming its a taken toward is accomplishment standpoint, beginning step life. anditssignificance intheworldofacademiaandineveryday itstimeliness Being Chicana/Being a Scholar: Grounds for Questioning entaileda lengthy tobecomea sociologist andlearning process Unlearning as a Chicanain a whitemale in whichI beganto formthebasisformytheorizing I andlateras a graduate coursesas an undergraduate world.Takingtheory student, whilesometimes ofsociologicalthought" thatsomeoftheclassic"masters soonfound speakingto myviewoftheworldoftenfellshortofa thisviewthatflowedfroma ofunderstanding. was thehallmark Others, heritagein whichpersonalexperience did whilestillremote, appealedtomysenseoftheworldmore.Whilewhitefeminists of fixedin theelement gender, value personalexperience, theywere seemingly andclass.InsteadI foundmyviewofthe ofrace/ethnicity themajorelements ignoring world validatedin worksby radicalwomenof color and Chicanahistorians, andpoets.Thesewomenaffirmed novelists, researchers, myownepistemological forquestioning andhelpedto giveme grounds myimplicitandexplicit standpoint theoretical training. Karl Marx, Max Weber,and Emile Durkheimwere three"mastersof whoappealedto me in variouswaysbutfailedme in others. sociologicalthought" Marxwas almosta herotomeinmygrowing up yearsas hetangledwiththeevilof social and anditsprogeny:alienation (MarxandEngels1955; inequality capitalism who I perceivedas was a thinker Weber Marx 1956; Marx and Engels 1978). verstehen of inhisconcept akintomyself (Weber1964). He recognized intuitively thatunderstanding humanactionsmeantdelvingintothe subjectivemeanings introduced thatI was first individuals placedonthoseactions.Itwas withDurkheim was sometimes ofreligion His discussion tothenature ofthesacredandtheprofane. difficult to take givenmyunique Catholicupbringing; however,it also had a even the I understand tremendous on today. religion impact way discussedwomento any neither Marx,norWeber,norDurkheim, However, facetsto their were also color. There women of least of all important greatextent, Marx which I found acceptedthe notionof problematic. theorizing profoundly 1983), and the was which so well (Thonnessen by bourgeoisie propagated femininity